Wicked!
by AllMyMuchness
Summary: Lyla Shanks is back for the Triwizard tournament but nothing is the same this year at Hogwarts. Lyla is finding that her visions are far more troublesome and confusing than she ever could have imagined and her relationship with the twins is beginning to heat up and she has no idea why! What's going on! The sequel to Rubbish! is here!
1. Chapter one: The reunion

**Wicked! Chapter one:** Reunion.

**Summary**: Hello everyone and welcome to Wicked! This story takes place during Goblet Of Fire and is the sequel to Rubbish! Now I decided to be far more in depth and lengthy with this story than the previous one because the previous one was more to give a quick back story and set up the tone of Lyla's relationship with the Weasley twins which becomes kind of complicated this time around as their friendship begins to twist into something far different than Lyla could have ever guessed.

This first chapter is pretty self explanatory. The Reunion! Whoooo! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to Harry Potter nor the characters aside from my own.

...

Being home with her parents felt strange after her year at Hogwarts. Her surroundings were so bland compared to the extravagance the school had to offer. None the less it was good to be home and having so much time to herself..Or so she thought.

Of course she wanted to spend time with her parents but it seemed like every time she would try to relax by herself they had something they wanted to do with her. She could understand that they missed her but the only time she ended up getting to herself for most of her days was when her parents were working. It was at those times she would usually play with Emmet, who had begun gaining a bit of weight thanks to her parents spoiling him, or messing around with her tarot cards, or writing letters.

When she'd arrived home she'd found that she hadn't been completely forgotten. It turned out Connor had no idea that she'd started attending Hogwarts and had been sending letters to her home. She'd found a pile of letters from him on her bed when she'd set her bags down.

He'd written to her about a number of things. He described Gregory's actions after she'd been expelled to her in great detail. Apparently the boy had found another target since she was gone, a first year boy who ended up giving Gregory a taste of his own medicine at the end of the year. He also told her of rumors that spread about her after she left good and bad. Everything from her and Gregory having been secretly in love the whole time and her getting pregnant to her being scooped up by some potions master who'd taken her under his wing. As she read them all she couldn't believe that people could have such wild imaginations.

He also told her how much he'd missed her and told her he'd like to visit. It took her, what felt like, forever to get through all of his letter and towards the end of the letters he had begun to wonder if she didn't want to talk to him and Lyla immediately responded telling him that she'd begun attending Hogwarts by a stroke of luck and she told him of her experiences there and sent it off using her parent's owl.

After that letter it had reminded her that she'd promised to write to Fred and George and she'd been procrastinating for months. It wasn't that she didn't miss them she'd just been so busy that it had slipped her mind.

She sat down to write them one day after a quick breakfast and decided on writing one letter to both of them instead of two.

She sat at her desk thinking just how to start her letter before making it as simple as possible.

_Hello! How are you guys? Sorry for the late letter but I've been so busy since I got home! It's really odd being home. It's a bit boring compared to Hogwarts and I kind of miss school since the first time in….EVER. I have never looked forward to school before so this is new. I mean really..Who the heck misses school? This girl apparently._

_How are things for you two? I'm sure you're enjoying your break more than I am. With so many family members how can you ever be bored? It's just me and my parents here. They keep asking about you guys by the way. Sometimes I swear I'm being interrogated._

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_-Lyla._

She was astounded at how quickly their response arrived. The very next day an owl arrived for her during dinner and she'd wolfed down her food so she could excuse herself. Her parents watched her with curious expressions as she scarfed down the food on her plate and then quickly ran to her room to read the letter, nearly crushing Emmet as she closed the door in her haste.

He perched on her lap as she sat down on her bed and read.

_You actually wrote us! We're genuinely impressed. We were beginning to think we'd have to wait to see you at school and punish you for not keeping your promise! Good job._

_We're fine. We've been busy as well. We've spent nearly the entire break working on some genius ideas and we have so much to show you. We need someone to be out guinea pig. Only joking…Maybe._

_Your parents are asking about us? What are they asking? What are you saying? Don't lie!_

_Have you asked them if you can come for a visit yet? Mum and dad said it was fine after we bugged them about it. They said it would be okay if we invited you to come to the Quidditch world cup with us and even agreed to come get you but we also have to fetch Harry and dad figures we would get you first since you're farther away. He keeps going on about getting a rental car or something after using floo powder to get to America. We have no idea what he's thinking about doing but you NEED to get permission before the 22nd of this month or we're going to kidnap you. This is not a joke it's a serious threat._

_-Fred and George._

Lyla read the letter a few times, chuckling at the last sentence. She wouldn't put it past them to go through with it either. When they had their minds made up about something they didn't give up easy.

She quickly responded after taking a look at the calendar. It was the second of August so she had plenty of time to ask her parents about the trip but she dreaded asking in fear of rejection.

_Of course I wrote you! I said I would didn't I? Good job? What am I, a dog?_

_They're just asking how I met you, where I met you, what kind of relationship we have and I think they're getting the wrong idea. (Really? There's two of you. There's no way I could juggle that much crazy. I'm not superwitch.)_

_The other day we were talking about you and my mother asked if you two were nice. I didn't know why the hell they asked me that but I told them yes. (Even though you two have a troublesome streak the size of the grand canyon.) and then my dad asked if I meant nice or nice nice? And I have no idea what nice nice even means! They're using some weird parent code on me and it's starting to freak me out a little bit._

_They've asked a bunch more but I really don't feel like writing all of that out. I don't think the owl could carry that much weight._

_Either way I just tell them the truth until they confuse me with their weird questions with double meanings and then I pretend to have a vision and they freak out and forget all about you. I'm running out of things to have fake visions about._

_Kidnapping? Don't you think that's a bit drastic?_

She sent it off and though she wanted to spend the rest of the night in her room reading her parents insisted she watch a movie with them. They both were so enamored with things like that like they were with much of the muggle world.

She didn't get another letter for almost a week after that and Lyla's birthday passed. Her parents celebrated it by taking her shopping for some new clothes. They planned on taking her out to dinner so when they got home she went to her room to change only to find a letter being dropped onto her bed and an owl perched on her desk while Emmet sniffed at it. He was getting used to seeing them all over the place and she was grateful he never tried to take a nibble. The ferret's way of learning about things had always been seeing if it was edible first.

She picked up the letter figuring her parents could wait an extra couple of minutes for her to read it.

_Whoa! That is a lot of questions. Your parents must really care about you..Or hate you._

_Relationship? We're friends! And we're not crazy!_

_We've deliberated and have decided that neither of us has any clue what 'Nice nice' means. We asked mum and dad but the answer was so horrific that we dare not repeat it to you._

_You're using your new 'confirmed Seer' status against your parents to manipulate them out of embarrassing questioning? YOU'RE A GENIUS!_

_And no, kidnapping isn't drastic. It's caring._

_NOW ASK THEM!_

She thought about responding but figured she would later that night and sent the owl on its way and quickly slipped into a nice presentable outfit and went to the bathroom to attend to her hair. Over the months it had grown into an odd pixie style that Lyla urged to grow faster. It sort of covered her big ears but not quite and she had to deal with the random curls that began to spring up along with her ever present issue of her hair sticking up in odd places.

She did her best to smooth it down after wetting it but there was only so much she could do and just left it and went into the living room to join her parents. Emmet didn't look happy about being left behind but there was no way in hell that she was taking to him a restaurant to steal from strangers plates. She gave him a loving pet before she and her parents left.

As they drove Lyla figured that this night would be the only chance she could ask about the world cup but she feared it would not go her way. Neither of them were fans of the sport so she couldn't play that card and she already knew how they would feel about letting her stay in a house full of boys but she had to try and hope for the best.

Her father chose a nice place. Not too swanky but it had a nice environment and Lyla plotted just when she should bring it up. She chose to wait until they were eating really hoping that being in public would mean her parents wouldn't raise their voices at her if her question angered them.

"So…Mom. Dad." She got their attention and pushed some peas around on her plate that had been cooked in far too much butter. "Do you remember the Weasley family?" She asked and her mother looked up from her steak. "Of course. Such lovely people. If they weren't so far I'd invite them for dinner. They seem like such nice people." She said and her father nodded. "Arthur invited me to visit the Ministry some time. I wish I could." He looked a bit disappointed and she knew her father would love to see Mr. Weasley's place of work considering the man was just as fascinated with muggles as her father.

Lyla saw a glimmer of hope. At least her parents liked the Weasley family and that was much better than the alternative. "Yeah. Speaking of Mr. Weasley. I was talking with.." She dared not say Fred and George's names lest she set off another round of awkward questioning. It was odd. Her parents never questioned her about Connor or her other friends like they did the twins. "Their youngest son, Ronald, and he told me that his father sometimes gets tickets for big events and he invited Harry Potter, who just so happens to be Ron's best friend, and their friend, Hermione who is this really smart witch who helped me out soooo much last year with my studies, to go to the Quidditch world cup over break." She said.

Her parents smiled. "Awh well that's nice of them." Her mother said and Lyla decided it was the moment of truth. It was now or never. 'You can do this, Lyla. Just ask. The worst outcome is they say no.'

"I was also invited to go along with them." She blurted and her mother and father peered at her from across the table. "Is that so?" Her mother asked and Lyla could have cut the tension with a knife. She opened her mouth to say something else but she was cut off. "And how do you propose you'd get there?" Her mother asked. If they hadn't been in a restaurant lyla had the feeling her tone would not have been as even and calm as it was now. It would definitely be more demanding and harsh. Her mother was a lovely woman but when it came to Lyla she was extremely over protective.

Lyla chose her words carefully. "They offered to come get me." She answered not sure on their mode of transportation. The twins had mentioned floo powder and a car but it wasn't definite. For all she knew the plan could change drastically thanks to something popping up and getting in the way.

"And how long would you be with them?" Her mother asked. Lyla took a sip of water, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "A few days and school starts right after so I'd also be going to the station with them." She said hoping to appeal to their wallets. Her parents might have made a god bit of money but they could also be quite the penny pinchers at times. She'd actually been rather shocked when they'd sent her as much money as they had while she was at school.

Her father cleared his throat. "Where would you be sleeping?" He asked and she knew exactly what was running through his mind. It made her flush a bit in embarrassment. "Ron has a sister so I'm sure Hermione and I will be sleeping in the same room as her." She explained trying to remember the girl's name but she'd only seen her in the halls at school and she knew she'd heard her name before but it slipped her mind.

Then came the question she'd feared from the start of the conversation. "Are those friends of yours going? What were their names?" Her father asked. "Frank and John?" He barely even knew their names yet he was so concerned about them. Lyla cringed at the butchering of their names.

"Fred and George? Yeah, they're going." She shrugged trying not to act like that fact affected her wanting to go. "So is Mr. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and his sister." She said and her parents looked to one another.

They discussed the matter for a few minutes and Lyla could feel the rejection coming and pulled the only ace she had. "Please. It's my birthday and I would really like to go to my very first professional Quidditch match."

Eventually they'd agreed though they weren't thrilled about it and when they got her home they gave her 'the talk' which was the worst form of torture she could have ever imagined. She insisted that it wasn't necessary because there was no one she found appealing in that way but they ignored her and even her father was uncomfortable.

By the time she was allowed to go to bed she was red from head to foot and her brain was swimming with thoughts of the conversation and the images it had left her with and she sat down to write to the twins while Emmet greeted her with an unending string of noises until she gave him the attention he was begging for all the while sniffing at her clothes no doubt smelling food on her while she wrote.

_Okay, so kidnapping is not necessary. I thought for a while there that it might be but they said yes._

_Also, I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you soooooooooooooooo much! My parents gave me 'the talk' after agreeing to let me go which was the price I had to pay for their approval. Do you even realize the level of pain I was just put through just so I could go? Kill me._

She sent the letter off and tried to go to bed but she was kept awake by the awful 'talk' and opted to read until she couldn't keep her eyes open.

The next morning she'd received a reply. She'd been avoiding her parents since she'd woken up and hadn't even left her room to even eat. She wouldn't be able to look her parents in the eyes for a few days.

She lay out on her bed to read it while Emmet used her back as a mattress.

_Yes! Okay so we were actually planning a kidnapping and we found a kink in the plan and were having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to get around it but this definitely saved us the trouble._

_The talk? Don't most parents give their kids that talk when they're a bit younger? Our mum and dad haven't bothered with it yet and I don't think they will luckily. You'd think having a seer for a daughter they wouldn't have to give you 'the talk' because you could just have a vision and picture it or something._

_By the way we'll be around to pick you up on the 22nd in the afternoon sometime. We'd give you an actual time but our dad is awful with directions. We're actually going to use the floo powder and then muggle transportation because dad wants to see America and have a short 'road trip'. Like the muggles do._

Excited, Lyla wrote them back telling them she couldn't wait and that she would be happy to see them again.

It turned it took more than a few days for her to be able to talk to her parents without thinking about 'the talk'. It nearly took a week and a half before she could even look them in the eyes without going red in the face and the closer the day came for her departure the more they wanted to spend time with her which made it exceedingly difficult.

The morning of the 22nd couldn't have come soon enough and she was up early to get her things packed up in a few suitcases and since the weather was extremely warm that day she threw on a breezy shirt and a pair of shorts that, after she put them on, noticed that they were a bit tighter than she remembered them being and glared at herself in her full length mirror. 'Oh great. I'm getting fat.' She thought bitterly and changed into a pair her parents had bought her for her birthday.

She took her bags into the living room where her parents were waiting, both of them having taken the day off from work so they could see her off. "We're greeting them, little lady. So don't try to run out of the house and take off." Her father said as if reading her mind. The last thing she wanted was her parents to embarrass her even further than they already had.

Lyla watched the clock impatiently as noon rolled around and she kept glancing out the window hoping to see a car pull up but it wasn't until almost one thirty that they finally showed up and when they did Lyla bolted out the door anxiously as Mr. Weasley got out and greeted her.

"Good afternoon." He said and smiled. "This place is so fascinating." He told her. "To think muggles used to prosecute witches here." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe it truly happened. Lyla shrugged. "Well it was mostly innocent muggles that they thought were witches that were prosecuted. Not too many real witches were…Burned." She said and glanced over as the door to the backseat opened and she could hear bickering. "Hurry up! We've been crammed back here for hours!" A familiar voice said and Lyla quickly informed Mr. Weasley that her parents wanted to say hello.

The twins clumsily got out of the car and she gaped up at them, covering her mouth. "Holy crap!" She gasped. "You've gotten so tall! And your hair! It's so long!" She exclaimed wishing her hair had done the same but the process was taking much longer. She envied their genetics.

Emmet suddenly ran out of the house as if he sensed their presence and climbed up Fred like a jungle gym and then hopped onto George's shoulder as if greeting old friends. They petted him. "We missed this little guy." They said and then grinned down at her. "We know. We're gorgeous." They said and then looked her up and down. "You haven't gotten any taller." Fred said and George plucked at one of her curls. "But at least your hair is coming along." He said and she swatted his hand away. "I didn't say all that." She grumbled concerning their egotistical comment and noticed Ron getting out of the car on the other side.

She waved at him and noticed even he'd grown an inch or two and sighed. "Really? Even the runt is taller than me? I give up." She offered him a hug which he took, not too happy with her snide remark. "Looks like you're the runt to me." He said and she ruffled his mop of red hair. "Getting feisty." She smiled as her parents came out of the house holding her luggage.

"Mom. Dad Gimme those." She gasped and took the suitcases her mother was holding. "We'll take those." The twins spoke from behind her and Fred took the luggage from her hands while George took the suitcase her father was holding and put them in the trunk along with Emmet's empty carrier.

"Wow. What a pair of gentlemen." Her mother smiled and Lyla arched an eyebrow at the two knowing they were only putting on a show for her parents with their polite smiles. "And they've grown so much." Her father said as he shook hands with Mr. Weasley.

They chatted for a moment before her father asked the man to take good care of Lyla while she was in their care. "Oh, Absolutely!" Mr. Weasley told him while Lyla's mother asked her if she had everything she needed. She nodded and Mr. Weasley said they'd better be getting along.

She hugged her parents and they told her to behave and while she approached the car Ron said something about taking the front seat but his father shook his head. "No. You'll let the lady sit up front because it's only polite." He said giving Lyla a smile.

"Yeah, Ron. Give the 'lady' the passenger seat." The twins said sarcastically and laughed at the mere thought of Lyla being considered a lady.

She frowned. "I am a girl you know." She huffed as she took the front seat and poor Ron had to be crammed in the back with his brothers. "We know." They said. "But there's a difference between a girl." Fred smirked. "And a lady." George finished and they erupted into a fit of laughter as Mr. Weasley pulled out of the driveway. Lyla waved to her parents until they were out of sight.

"Don't let them fool you, Lyla. These two might not act like it but they missed you. They've been talking about having you over since they got off the train last year." Mr. Weasley said as Emmet made his way into the man's lap and placed his paws on the steering wheel.

Ron scoffed. "Yeah. It was getting annoying." He said and his brothers shoved him. "Is that so?" Lyla looked back at them and raised an eyebrow at them.

"Oh my. Friendly little creature you've got." Mr. Weasley said looking shocked at how quickly Emmet was wanting to get to know him.

The twins, ignoring the comment about them missing her, laughed. "Emmet's like that with everyone." George said and as if to prove the point the ferret scurried over the front seat and into George's lap and stretched on him, bracing his front claws on his chest, and then he fell over and lay out across the two.

During the ride Lyla told the twins about her break. How she visited a museum, took a short trip to Florida and went to the beach, and got back into contact with Connor. At this news they raised their eyebrows. "Connor?" They shared a look. "You never told us about any friends from Salem's." Fred said sounding a bit insulted.

"That's because I'd thought they'd all forgotten about me. Turns out Connor had no idea I'd been accepted to Hogwarts and was sending mail to my house the whole time I was gone thinking I was there." She explained. "Now that it's all straightened out I can actually get mail from someone other than my parents." She smiled to herself. "I'm glad he didn't forget me. I missed him." She admitted.

Using the floo powder network they arrived to the Weasley home by nightfall and Mr. Weasley helped her bring in her bags even though she bugged him the whole way to let her do it. He refused.

When they entered the home Lyla gazed around, a smile breaking out on her face at their cozy home with the presence of magic in nearly every corner. Her own home looked boring in comparison because her parents rarely used magic.

Mrs. Weasley appeared from the kitchen and gave her husband a kiss before looking at Lyla in surprise. "Oh my! Is that the same girl I met getting off the train last year?" She asked and Lyla looked down at herself in confusion and then looked over at the twins in question. The only thing that had changed about her was her hair really. The two shrugged and sat down at the table with two men that looked like they were definitely related and they rose to greet her after she received a welcoming hug from their mother.

"I'm Bill. It's nice to meet you." He said and the other did the same. "Charlie." And to his brothers he said "How in the world did you two manage to bring a girl home?" to which the twins rolled their eyes. "Lyla? A girl?" George chuckled. "Barely." Fred said to which Charlie shook his head.

She had a retort ready but Mrs. Weasley asked for her help in setting the table which she happily obliged while the rest of the family took seats. The youngest of the bunch, Ginny joined them and Lyla was glad she remembered her name just in time to say hello and they all sat down to eat and though Mrs. Weasley was an excellent cook Lyla only ate enough to appease her growling stomach. Since her old clothes were tighter she'd decided that maybe she'd been eating too much and doing too little.

The boys talked around the table and when Mrs. Weasley noticed her small portion she looked a bit concerned. "Aren't you hungry, dear?" She asked and Lyla looked down at her lap. The woman was so sweet and she didn't want her to think she didn't like her cooking. "Umm..Yeah but.." She was embarrassed and turned red and the woman seemed to understand and patted her arm. "Oh, that's rubbish!" She insisted which received a bit of attention.

Fred and George looked up from their plates and gave their mother inquisitive looks. "What?" They asked, lost.

Lyla cleared her throat. "Well..Let's just say I hope you guys aren't expecting extravagant presents this year. It looks like I'm going to have to get a new wardrobe." She muttered ashamed to admit it.

Fred snorted into his plate. "I was going to say something earlier, Lyla but I didn't want to say it in front of your parents but you've begun to get f-"

Lyla's eyes went wide and she flushed red from head to toe and cut him off. "If you say fat, Fred Weasley, I swear I'm going to…Well I don't know what I'm going to do to you but it will be awful." She threatened.

George cracked up and Fred shook his head quickly. "I wasn't going to say fat!" He exclaimed. "I was going to say filled out! Jeeze! Women!" He sighed. Lyla lowered her gaze to her lap. "Oh..Well…Thank you." She said and she couldn't be sure if it was a compliment or not coming from Fred.

"Speaking of presents." George changed the subject. "Lyla when's your birthday?" He asked and Lyla was glad for the change of topic. "Actually it just passed. August fourth." She told him and the twins gave her shocked looks. "What?" They said. "And you didn't tell us?" George sounded genuinely insulted and Lyla frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it was a big deal." She said.

"What did you do for your birthday, Lyla?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "I went shopping with my parents and then they took me out to eat." She said. It wasn't glamorous or anything but who was she to complain when her present, though it came with an awful price, had been permission to attend the world cup.

Fred and George gawked at her. "That's all?" They asked as if she'd said she sat around and did nothing. "Mum. We need a cake. Immediately." They said and their mother gaped at them. "Do you think I'm a twenty four hour bakery? I can't make a cake appear out of thin air!" She exclaimed, exasperated.

Lyla glanced over and saw that Ginny suddenly had an excited look about her and leaned over to whisper something to George who suddenly grinned. "Brilliant!" He said to her and turned to his mother again. "Mum do you think we could throw Lyla a birthday party while she's here?" He asked and Lyla shook her head. "No you don't have to do that. My birthday was fine." She said.

"Rubbish!" The twins exclaimed. "After what you did for our birthday last year and you expect us not to do anything?" Fred asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shared a curious glance. "What did she do for your birthday?" Mrs. Weasley asked and her sons stared at her, dumbfounded. "We only told you about a million times! Fred exclaimed. "Honestly, mother, do you even listen to us?" George asked and Mrs. Weasley waved off their comment. "Ohhh right, right." She nodded and patted Lyla on the hand. "That was very sweet of you, dear." She said to Lyla who smiled shyly.

The woman then looked to her husband who shrugged. "I'm fine with it. It will be fun having a little celebration before the world cup." He smiled around the table and Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Alright then." She agreed. It looked like Lyla didn't have a choice in the matter.

After dinner Ginny showed her where she'd be sleeping and the second Lyla settled in the twins popped their heads in, Emmet perched on George's shoulder. They waved her over and she sighed while Ginny shot her a strange grin. "What?" She asked them. She was a bit tired but George and Fred looked like they had all the energy in the world as usual.

"What?" They repeated and shook their heads. "Come on." They said and she watched them quickly descend the stairs and she noticed their pockets were bulging. She followed them downstairs and out into the garden where they plopped down on the grass and Emmet bounded off into the grass to survey the area.

"Why are we outside?" She asked and they began to empty their pockets. "Bill and Charlie are in our room." They said and Lyla nodded. "Well that kind of sucks. So where will you two be sleeping?" She asked. "Ron's room." They didn't seem too interested in the topic of conversation and Lyla sat down between them checking out what they were messing with.

"Is there something you wanted to show me or something because I kind of had something I wanted to do before bed." She said and went to pick something up that looked like a toffee and though she wasn't a big fan of sweets she had a bit of a sweet tooth at the moment. George smacked her hand and told her not to touch it.

"Like what?" Fred asked in regards to her statement.

Lyla rolled her eyes. "If you must know I was going to write a letter to Connor and brag a little about how I'm going to the world cup thanks to my new buddies." She reached forward and tugged on their hair and then placed her hands behind her in the grass and leaned back a bit, the ride in the car having left her a little stiff.

The two shot her identical looks. "We're hearing a lot about this 'Connor' all of a sudden." George said picking up the toffee he hadn't let her touch and Emmet appeared out of nowhere to snatch it from him but George grabbed the ferret before he could run off and took it back to which Emmet snorted at him in disappointment.

"He was my best friend." Lyla shrugged. "He told me a lot that's happened since I left Salem's by the way. You wouldn't believe what some people have been saying." She said. She still couldn't believe it herself.

"Apparently there was a rumor that I left school because.." She suddenly stopped herself remembering she'd never told the twins much about her time at Salem's. "Never mind." She said and changed the subject. "So a birthday party, huh? I haven't had one of those in years." She said and they launched into a conversation about it and the two tried to figure out what they could and could not get away with for the party.

They talked for a bit after that and they showed her some of the items they'd made over the break such as ton-tongue toffee which Lyla was now grateful that George had prevented her from eating. They showed her more, most of the troublesome items disguised as sweets to make them appear innocent.

Then they asked her if she'd been having any visions recently. She shook her head. "No. Not really. I mean..A few here and there about small stuff but nothing like last years." She said remembering how some of them would leave her with splitting headaches or feeling nauseated.

Lyla was sure that if Mrs. Weasley hadn't come out to bark at the boys to go to bed they would have kept her up much later but not wanting their mother to have a fit they got up and stuffed their pockets with their inventions and Lyla followed them inside and they parted ways to go to bed.

Ginny was already asleep by the time Lyla crawled into bed to write to Connor and Emmet curled up with her. Her first day back in the company of the twins left Lyla content and more excited than she cared to admit about the two giving her a party.

She quickly wrote the letter and placed it under her pillow. She'd send it in the morning.

…

**Soooooooooooo what did you think? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Let me know :) I have tons of ideas as to where I want to take this and I'm pretty sure you guys are going to enjoy it. Or I hope so. I think this is the most fun I've ever had writing and I have to thank this awesome site for giving me a place to unleash my imagination and the people who've been reading my stuff because it means a lot. **

** In the next chapter we've got a birthday party, compliments of the twins, and some other cool stuff that you should tune in to. :)**

** Thank you all for reading! xoxoxoxo **


	2. Chapter two: Time to Partay

Wicked! Chapter two: A birthday party.

Summary: Welcome to chapter two everyone! In this chapter we have some snooping, some dancing, and some partying! Whooooo! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Harry Potter nor the characters.

...

First thing the next morning, Lyla sent the letter off and Hermione arrived. Lyla helped her with her things while they caught up and she also managed to get to know Ginny a bit more before they were interrupted by two tousled twins who poked their heads into the room.

Ginny giggled at their appearance. "I do not envy you, Lyla." She said and Hermione joined in with a chuckle of her own. "Can't you two leave her alone for one minute?" She asked the two.

"We just came to tell you to come get breakfast." Fred said and to Lyla George said "And you. Don't wander outside. You'll ruin the surprise." And with that they disappeared and Emmet followed after them no doubt smelling food.

"What's that all about?" Hermione asked her after the two left. Lyla sighed and shook her head. "They're throwing me a birthday party it seems." She said and Hermione almost looked horrified. "It's your birthday?" She asked.

"No. It was on the fourth but they want to do it anyways because of what I did for their birthday." She explained as they headed downstairs for breakfast.

The Weasley family appeared one by one to eat. Even Percy who Lyla hadn't seen at all since her arrival. She greeted him with a wave and he didn't seem to recognize her which she was grateful for considering they'd only met once when he'd caught her sleepwalking the year before.

As she ate Lyla kept stealing glances at the twins who looked like they were plotting something nefarious instead of fun. They wolfed down their food and darted off without saying a word leaving Lyla wondering just what they were planning.

When she finished eating Lyla grabbed some clothes from her luggage and a towel and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When she got out she donned a large, baggy tanktop and a knee length skirt because it was a warm day and opted for sandals.

The whole day the twins were in and out of the house and the only time they were in the house they were in the kitchen pestering their mother who would shoo them away each and every time.

Lyla spent the time with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. She played a game or two of chess with Ron who beat her both times until she could no longer stand to lose to the boy because he had a bit of an ego about it. He was obviously proud of being good at the game and Lyla congratulated him on his strategy.

After hanging out with the girls for a while Lyla grew bored and decided to do some reading and got sucked into her book and before she knew George and Fred were plucking the book from her hands and dragging Lyla out of Ginny's room. "Come on! It's time!" The said and pulled her down the stairs with Hermione, Ginny, and Ron pulling up the rear grumbling about how the twins didn't ever get this excited for his birthday.

Before they stepped outside Fred quickly darted behind Lyla and covered her eyes with his hands snickering. "Come on. Is that really necessary?" She asked him as George took her by the arm to lead her. "Yes." They said and she was guided outside a ways and she heard Hermione and Ginny gasp. "It's so pretty." Ginny said and Lyla grabbed at Fred's hands wanting to see it too but her hands were smacked away and she was led a bit further and then finally he removed his hands and Lyla stared in astonishment.

The garden was lit up like Christmas with poles lined up on either side of two tables placed long ways piled with food and chairs set up. Hanging from those poles were lanterns of all colors and even the flowers in the garden seemed to light up and flash different colors.

Around the table stood the Weasley family wearing party hats and Ginny and Hermione had joined them. Among them, smiling from ear to ear was Harry who she thought wasn't going to arrive for another day.

On either side of her the twins smiled huge at her and in George's arms was Emmet with a little party hat of his own looking none too amused at being forced to wear it.

"Wow.." Was all she could say for a moment and then threw her arms around their shoulders. "You two are unbelievable you know that?" he said and they made their way to the table where she hugged Harry. "I didn't think you'd be here until tomorrow." She said and he shrugged.

"Mr. Weasley sent me a letter this morning telling me they were throwing you a party and they fetched me early. He said we should celebrate our birthdays together even though mine was in July." He said and she hugged him again. "Happy birthday." She told him and he chuckled. "Happy birthday to you too." He said and everyone sat down to eat dinner.

Before they ate Charlie stood and raised his glass for a toast. "First I would like to say how glad I am to be here with you all, my family, for the world cup and secondly I'd like to wish both of you happy birthday." He said and nodded to Harry and then Lyla who, though she'd just met him the day before, thought he must be a really nice person.

The Weasley's really knew how to make someone feel special for their birthdays. Everyone ate and talked in high spirits around the table and Lyla learned that Charlie worked with dragons in Romania which she found extremely fascinating. She'd never seen dragons before and, though the idea frightened her, she wished she could see one someday. He shared some stories with her and she listened to him with the utmost interest until his attention was dragged away by his mother.

She spoke with Mr. Weasley about his job and she told him how much her parents were enamored with muggles and their ways. She described how her parents preferred to live like muggles with little magic in their lives because they found the Muggle way of life to be more rewarding. That having everything done by magic didn't appeal to them.

He said he would love to get a good look inside her house one day and she couldn't make any promises but she told him that her mother had said that she would like to have them over for dinner and that he should write to them because she already knew her father and Mr. Weasley would have so much to talk about. She didn't know how Mrs. Weasley would get along with her mother but they were both mothers so at least they'd have some common ground.

She also spoke with Bill and Percy, who'd reluctantly, joined them even though he said he had some important work for the ministry to do. When she asked him about it looked pleasantly surprised that someone actually wanted to know. He told her that he was looking into cauldrons that weren't thick enough on the bottom and, because Lyla's passion was potions, she asked him how many cases they'd found leaks in. They chatted for a few minutes about the subject and Lyla learned that Bill worked at the bank, Gringotts. She'd never been there so she asked him what it was like and he humored her for a little while with a few stories and by the end of the conversation Lyla told him she would like to meet a goblin. They sounded a bit scary and too serious but there was so much about the wizarding world she had yet to experience.

They'd all finished eating long ago and her conversation with Bill was cut short by Mrs. Weasley leaving the table and when she returned she was holding a large cake with red frosting and when she set it on the table Lyla smiled huge at the yellow lettering that read; Happy birthday Harry and Lyla and there were so many candles that Lyla didn't even bother to count them all.

The woman told her and Harry to make wishes and then, together, they blew out the candles and the cake was sliced and, piece by piece, was passed around the table until everyone had a piece.

While she enjoyed the cake Lyla heard Harry, Hermione, and Ron whispering down the table and though she was curious she told herself not to eavesdrop. Whatever they were discussing was obviously private.

She didn't have long to wonder about whatever it was they were discussing because soon the tables were cleared away and the twins announced they had a surprise. Lyla asked Harry if he knew what it was but he shook his head and shrugged. "Who knows with those two." He said but it was soon revealed that it was fireworks and Lyla was reminded of their firework show last Christmas. That had been truly spectacular and though this one didn't top it the show was wonderful to watch and at the end was a series of colorful burst that spelled out "Happy birthday!" and then the sparks dispersed and raced around the party as music fill the air and Lyla was taken by the hand from behind.

Lyla glanced behind her to see Ginny with an excited expression. "Time to dance." She said and Lyla laughed and shook her head. "I can't. I'm awful." She said but Ginny took her other hand and shook her head. "I'm sure that's not true." She said and Lyla motioned to George. "Ask him." She said and the twins in question looked over and busted out in laughter.

"Ginny. She really is hopeless." He said and she waved off his comment. "I'll show you." She said happily and as an upbeat tune flitted around them she showed Lyla how to move and Lyla felt ridiculous as she tried to keep up with the girl. They laughed as Ginny lead her through a few moves and then she was passed to Harry who, though he looked like he'd be clumsy, was actually a decent dancer and she glanced over to see Mr. Weasley take his wife by the hand and spin her. They looked so happy and she could almost felt embarrassed for witnessing such romance but focused on not trampling Harry's feet.

"Quit hogging her, Harry." Ginny said as she danced with Bill and Charlie gave her a polite smile as he extended his hand to her. Lyla took his hand as Ginny was robbed from Bill by George and twirled which made her squeal with laughter.

Charlie was far taller than her and Lyla sort of felt like a little kid dancing with an adult but he looked to be having fun as he lead her even though it was a bit difficult for her because the music was a bit fast paced and hard for her to keep up with. "Don't look now but I think Fred might be plotting to steal my dance partner." Charlie chuckled and he dipped her so she could spare a glance around to see that though Fred was dancing with his mother he kept glancing over.

Lyla squeaked with surprise at the random move and feared he might drop her but he quickly pulled her back up which made her a bit lightheaded and she laughed finding that this night was more fun that she'd expected. She'd never been to a party like this. "My mother tells me you're a seer." Charlie suddenly said which made Lyla's eye go wide. 'What?'

At her expression he smiled and shook his head as he spun her and steadied her, the move leaving her dizzy. "Don't worry. I won't blab." He said with a wink and Lyla was about to say something but Charlie stepped away and took Ginny away by lifting her around the waist and twirling her in the air.

"Looks like I have to steal my chance before someone else does." Fred said with a grin and took her hands as he stepped in front of her. "I warn you I'm still not very good." Lyla laughed, glancing to Charlie and hoping he'd keep to his word.

She didn't have much time to think about though because Fred slipped an arm around her waist and swept her off away from his brother and sister and Lyla spotted George attempting to teach Harry some footwork. "Pay attention." Fred said and released her waist to spin her and she would have fallen if she hadn't caught herself and he jerked her back to him making her laugh as her head spun.

He gave her a grin and took her by her hands and began to spin with her around and around picking up speed until she couldn't see straight and she threw her head back laughing giddily until they both collapsed in the grass laughing, Lyla seeing double while everything spun.

When her head began to clear George was grinning down at her while his brother got to his feet. He extended his hand to her and she took it and he pulled her to her feet and she spotted Emmet flitting around the party and running around the dancing couples.

"Alright everyone." Mrs. Weasley was smiling, her husband doing a silly dance beside her. "It's getting late." She said and clapped her hands. "Time for bed everyone." She and pointed to Fred and George, who looked disappointed. "And you two get to clean up." She told them while she began to shoo everyone into the house to get ready for bed.

Lyla didn't feel right about leaving the twins to clean up everything by themselves so she stayed behind to lend a hand.

It took them a while to have everything tidied up and after they were finished the three of them plopped down in the grass and Lyla released a content sigh. "Thank you, guys. It was really fun." She said and then laid back to stare up at the night sky. Some of the lanterns were still lit and she gazed around at the garden, her smile refusing to leave her face. "I forgot how enjoyable birthday parties could be." She told them as Fred and George lay out as well, arms folded behind their heads.

"No problem." Fred said and let out a lengthy yawn. "We owed you one." George said not looking a bit drowsy compared to his brother.

George turned his head and pointed at her. "But YOU still owe me a dance." He huffed and Lyla rolled her eyes. "You're the one who told me my dancing was awful last year, remember?" She said and he took a moment and then grinned. "No worries. I'll lead." He chuckled and Lyla nodded with a small yawn. The party had left her full, sleepy, and happy.

"Rain check." She told him and George nodded. "I'll hold you to it." He said with a confident nod.

Having not heard a peep out of Fred for a few moments Lyla sat up on her elbows and looked down at him. He was asleep, one hand on his stomach that was rising and falling with his even breathing and his mouth was hanging open a bit.

"That is…Just too tempting." She whispered and shook her head and George sat up to see what she was talking about and grinned at the sight of his brother. "I think we might have the same idea." He said and nudged her with his elbow. "You wanna?" He asked and Lyla couldn't even imagine the cruel things he was thinking of.

She shook her head. "Nah. I think it's best to let that sleeping dog lay." She giggled quietly and George dug into his pocket pulled out some of the things he and Fred had been showing her the night before and sifted through them as if he were looking for something in particular and Lyla noticed something sticking out of his pocket. A piece of parchment.

She also noticed something that made her smile as it glinted at her in the dim lighting from his wrist and she reached forward and took the charm between her fingers. He turned and looked down at her. "You still wear it." She said and he arched an eyebrow. "Well duh. What's the point of having it if I don't wear it?" He asked and she nodded. "Valid point." She said as he continued what he was doing.

She got curious and stared at the parchment peeking out of his pocket again and he spared her a glance but didn't seem to be paying much attention to her as he mumbled to himself about where he could have put whatever he was looking for and rummaged through his pockets again and he set the parchment aside and emptied out his pockets, turning them inside out.

Lyla picked up the parchment while he shifted through the items and she unfolded it to see what it was. It was a letter and when she glanced to the bottom of the page she noticed it was from Angeline Johnson.

Thinking it would be hilarious to embarrass Goerge for once she began to read it out loud.

""Oh, George you're so funny! I can't believe you would say something like that! Of course I like you guys! You're the only guys in the school with the kind of humor to not take life so seriously all the time!

I can't wait to see you back at school! I'm in desperate need for a few laughs because my break has been dreadfully boring.-"

George's head snapped in her direction and he stopped what he was doing and dropped what was in his hands and scrambled over to her to snatch the letter from her which only egged on her curiosity but she quickly jumped up and ran away from him continuing to read as she pranced away.

"It's so great that you get to go to the world cup! I'm going as well with my family. We paid so much for out tickets. And you're going with Harry Potter , Hermione, and your family? That's sounds like a bunch of fun! And Lyla too?"

He caught up with her and grabbed for the parchment. "Lyla that's not funny!" He exclaimed but she dropped to the ground and rolled onto her stomach and held it beneath her, laughing while George attempted to wrestle it out from under her.

Emmet joined in on the fun, bounding in from somewhere in the garden and he hopped onto George's back to begin jumping up and down making excited noises and pulling on his hair. He the squirmed into the space between and scratched at Lyla's arm making her grateful she'd trimmed his claws a few days earlier. "Lyla you've had your fun. Cut it out." George almost sounded like he was begging her but she kept reading.

""Isn't she that strange transfer student you two were hanging out with last year? I remember the night she woke up screaming. It was so weird and scared me to tell you the truth. It was so nice of you guys to be friends with her although I hope this year you don't neglect the rest of your friends to spend time with her. I'm sure they miss you as much as I do.

I know you felt some kind of responsibility for her for some reason. I have to ask and don't be mad at me but I was wondering if it was out of sympathy? Either way, hopefully this year you'll have gotten over that and hang out with the rest of us.."

Lyla trailed off, her voice breaking off in a sigh. What had started out as fun was now a painful sting and, not caring to read anymore, handed the letter over her shoulder to George who quickly got off of her and shoved the letter in his pocket looking a bit guilty.

She sat up and got to her feet, Emmet losing interest, and rolling around in the grass about a foot away and she watched him acting as if nothing in the letter had bothered her.

"You really shouldn't read other people's letters." George said suddenly and she shot him a look and headed for the house. He was right but what she'd read had been pretty insulting. She planned to just go to bed and not think about it. "And you shouldn't let people talk bad about your friends." She shot over her shoulder, her light happy mood gone in an instant.

"I didn't! And I'm sure she didn't mean any offense." He called to her and she turned, her emotions getting the better of her. "Didn't mean any offense? She thinks you're only friends with me out of sympathy. Apparently she thinks of me as someone in need of pity!" She felt a pang of sadness at the very thought of that being the truth.

George stared at her looking like he couldn't believe what she'd just said. "That's ridiculous and you know it! Of course we're not your friends out of sympathy or else we wouldn't have asked you to come to the world cup. I wrote her back and told her that." He said and Lyla, stubborn as a mule, didn't want to admit she was being unreasonable but when she thought about she couldn't deny that she was being exactly that.

She was hurt and she knew she shouldn't have taken it out on George who'd helped in throwing her such a wonderful party including all of the other kind things he and his brother had done for her since they'd met.

He crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ground feeling like an idiot for reacting the way she had. "You're right.." She grumbled unwilling to admit she was wrong but knowing he would feel crappy about it until she resolved it. "I'm being stupid." She shook her head and tapped her foot on the ground. "I don't know it's just…She really seems to like you guys." She said remembering what Angelina had said about the twins the year before.

"We've been friends for a while." George shrugged and Lyla sighed. "That's not what I meant. Are you really that oblivious?" She asked and he scratched at his head. "You think so?" He muses as Emmet scurried over to her and she picked him up to give him a loving pet. "She's a nice girl and all but I think its Fred she's got her eyes on." George said and reached down to scoop up the items he'd left on the ground.

"I think she would take whichever she could get. You two are basically the same person." She said and hugged Emmet who peered up into her face and licked the tip of her nose.

George looked up from what he was doing, his brow furrowed. "No we're not." He sounded a bit offended. "We're twins but we're not exactly the same." He said.

"You're right." Lyla hated how the mood was so heavy and decided to try to crack a joke to lighten it a bit. "Fred knows not to leave his mail laying around for people to snoop through." She said and he stuffed his pockets again and then as she made to head into the house to get ready for bed but she didn't quite make it before he caught up and gave her a hug.

"I'm really glad you could come, Lyla." He said and she stifled a yawn with her hand and she nodded. "Me too." She said and patted his back and suddenly she heard someone clearing their throat and peered over George's shoulder to see Fred on his feet looking quite amused.

"Am I interrupting something?" He teased and George turned and laughed. "Enjoy your nap, Freddy?" He asked and Fred hooked an arm over his brother's shoulders. "Now you wouldn't have planning to leave to sleep out here by any chance would you?" He asked and George glanced to Lyla and shrugged. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about." He said and the three put out the rest of the lanterns and went inside to get ready for bed.

Lyla tried to be as quiet as possible as she got ready for bed not wanting to disturb the sleeping girls and slipped into bed with Emmet who didn't seem ready for sleep and she knew he'd be up and about for a while but he stretched out and laid on her chest for the time being and she petted him until she dozed off.

...

**Honestly I love dwriting this chapter. These scenes just looked so adorable in my head. Let me know what you think :) Well I'm already on my way to write the next chapter so I should have it up tomorrow sometime in the evening. **

** Thank you so much for reading! **


	3. Chapter three: Old Friends and

**Wicked! Chapter three**: Old Friends and The World Cup.

**Summary**: Welcome to Chapter three! So far this is the longest chapter in the story at a whopping eight thousand words! Holy cow! I've been typing this out furiously ever since I posted the last chapter so hopefully all of my hard work is worth it haha. In this chapter Lyla catches up with Connor, The match between Bulgaria and Ireland blows everyone away, and the dark mark has everyone running scared! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to Harry Potter nor the characters.

…..

The next morning Lyla awoke with the strangest of images burned into her mind. She didn't remember what she'd dreamed though and could only recall the last image and when awoke she did so with a feeling of dread that lingered as she took to the bathroom to bathe and get dressed.

It stuck with her all day and night and as she lay in bed on the eve of the world cup. Even when she'd received word from Connor telling her that he would be going to the world cup as well with his mother she had to read it over a few times because she just couldn't shake the feeling like something was going to happen and she feared that at any time she would have some awful vision. When asked about her odd behavior she simply said it was nothing but excitement for the match and the nerves of it being her first time to attend such an event.

The morning of the World cup match Lyla was woken with a start by Ginny telling her to get up because they had to get ready.

She sat up and noticed she was sweating and she quickly headed for the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. Though it was chilly out in the early morning hour she threw on a simple black t-shirt and pair of lime green jean shorts and sneakers and when she looked in the mirror to tackle her hair, which was sticking up on the right side where she'd slept on it, she noticed bags beneath her eyes as if she hadn't slept a wink.

She splashed water on her face and sighed, the feeling of dread still lingering, and she tried to shove it away and she smoothed her hair down and left the bathroom to, a very impatient, Ron who darted inside grumbling something about how women take forever to get ready.

Lyla went downstairs to see Mrs. Weasley working around the stove and Mr. Weasley was messing with the tickets for the event. He gave her a short greeting as she entered and took a seat at the table feeling a bit on edge and jumpy. There was something that she wasn't seeing. Something she couldn't put her finger on but she was determined not to let it get in the way of having a fun time.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined them Mr. Weasley stood and asked them what they thought of his outfit which was absolutely ridiculous and Harry assured him the attire was fine and George came down the stairs stifling a yawn and asking about his brothers to which his father told him they would be Apparating so they got to sleep in. Lyla envied them.

Fred was not in a good mood this morning and as he grabbed some food he asked why couldn't they Apparate as well and his mother snapped at him that he wasn't old enough and hadn't passed his test.

This was something Lyla was looking forward to. This year she'd be allowed to take the class to learn to Apparate which sounded awesome. Who wouldn't want to disappear from one point and appear in another?

While Harry asked Mr. Weasley about Apparating Lyla ate some porridge but was left with very little of an appetite. She still forced herself to finish it all and when Ginny joined them she asked why they had to be up so early.

Mr. Weasley told her they would have a bit of a walk and Lyla couldn't help but dread it. Her body felt heavy and sluggish and she desperately wished for a cup of her father's extremely strong coffee.

Suddenly Lyla jumped, lost in thought, as Mrs. Weasley shouted at George and her head snapped in his direction as he tried to appear innocent and Lyla knew immediately that he must have been up to something.

His mother asked him what was in his pockets and he tried to deny having anything at all but his mother called his bluff and used the Accio spell to retrieve what it was he was trying to hide and she was furious to find that they were ton-tongue toffees and forced the two to empty out their pockets.

It was embarrassing to watch Mrs. Weasley retrieve every single item the boys tried to conceal and threw them away. Fred yelled about how it had taken them six months to develop them and his mother grew even more infuriated with the two and began shrieking about how they didn't get more O.W.L s and the twins looked to Lyla in a way that screamed 'do something!' but she didn't know what they expected from her. Have a fake vision? Faint as a distraction? She stayed out of it and pretended that she didn't see or hear anything as their mother shouted at them.

When they were ready to leave Lyla hoisted her backpack over a shoulder and followed the twins out the door who didn't even say goodbye to their mother. "You two should have seen that coming." She said and shook her head and they shot her a look. "On her side are you?" Fred snapped and she rolled her eyes. "No but it wasn't exactly smart of you to try to take that stuff."

George grumbled about all of the work they'd done going to waste and she heard Mrs. Weasley call to them to have a great time and Lyla turned and waved with a smile and called back to the woman telling her she'd keep an eye on the twins for her while they were gone with a wink.

Lyla kept close to the twins as they walked. It was still dark and the moon was out but she still felt the uncomfortable paranoia the dark left her with and as they walked they eventually got over the toffees and were growing excited and began talking to her about what it would be like and discussing the players on each of the teams. After a while they wouldn't shut up and behind her she heard Harry asking Mr. Weasley about how everyone get to the match without Muggles noticing and she slowed her walk to listen curiously.

Mr. Weasley began explaining about portkeys and Lyla hung back even more so she could walk next to the two having no idea what a Portkey was and when the man explained she was fascinated. Silly objects becoming ways to be transported? How curious.

She caught back up with George and Fred while they talked and asked them questions about the teams to pass the time as they walked, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs not appreciating the chilly morning. She wished she'd dressed more appropriately but her assumption was that it would warm up when the sun came up which was beginning to feel like it would take forever.

They reached a hill and Lyla groaned quietly to herself as they began the ascent, still not being quite awake enough to properly handle the situation and by the time they reached the top Lyla wanted to collapse, her legs feeling like dead weight.

Behind her Mr. Weasley said they'd made good time and Lyla looked around when he said they needed to find the Portkey and told everyone to look around for it and they all split up and Lyla didn't even know what she was looking for when someone shouted that they'd found it and Lyla glanced over to see two people standing on the opposite side of the hill.

Mr. Weasley greeted the older of the two as everyone wandered over and he introduced him as Amos Diggory and just as Lyla began wondering where she'd heard the name Diggory Mr. Weasley introduced Mr. Diggory's son, Cedric.

Lyla didn't know much about him other than a lot of girls found him attractive and was a Hufflepuff. She greeted him politely while the twins just nodded at him and the older men talked of the walk and then Amos asked if they were all Mr. Weasley's children and she shuddered trying to imagine what it would be like to be related to Fred and George.

Mr. Weasley shook his head and laughed. "Oh no, only the redheads." He said and motioned to his children. "And this is Hermione, a friend of Ron's, Lyla, a friend of the twins, and Harry, another friend." He said and the man didn't care much for the rest of them other than Harry. Of course. He was famous after all.

Amos began talking of a Quidditch match between HufflePuff and Gryffindor and the twins began to scowl and she nudged them. "Fix your faces." She told them not wanting to be rude while Mr. Weasley asked if they were waiting on anyone else and when the man told them no Mr. Weasley looked behind him at them all telling them all they had to do was touch the Portkey and they all crowded around it and placed a finger on it and Emmet, who'd been riding on her bag, crawled inside the boot as if he already knew what to do.

Lyla looked at their odd group and didn't realize Mr. Weasley was counting down until suddenly Lyla yelped as the world suddenly flew out from beneath her feet and they were all swirling around, banging into one another speeding through the air and Lyla feared she would be ripped away from the boot but her finger stayed where it was.

It was over in an instant and Lyla went sprawling out on the ground, her backpack slamming into her face and poor Emmet tumbled over the grass and then leapt to his feet and hissed at the boot and began hopping around it, batting at it, and then repeating the process until he pranced away from it as if he'd won a great victory.

Lyla's head was spinning and as she sat up she rolled over onto all fours feeling as if she were about to empty the contents of her stomach. She forced herself not to vomit and swallowed what had decided to come up. "Ugh.." She groaned at the disgusting taste it left in her mouth and the twins found their way over to her and laughed at her misery. She shot them glares as she waited for her stomach to settle and she could hear people talking behind her but she was far too busy trying to keep her breakfast in her stomach where it belonged.

"Come on, Lyla." The twins rushed her and scooped her up under the arms and forced her to her feet and they pulled her along trying to catch up with the others that had started off without them.

They walked for a while before Mr. Weasley stop at a cottage and he paid while Lyla peered at the hundreds of tents. How many people had even shown up for this event? With so many tents Lyla could only imagine.

After a bit they moved on and through the rows of tents and Lyla gazed around in amazement at the luxuries within some of the tents. Emmet looked like he was definitely ready to explore the grounds but Lyla held him securely and told him to behave. There were way too many opportunities for a ferret to get into trouble here. Ahead of her Mr. Weasley said how wizards loved to show off at events like this and Lyla could tell and she wondered where Connor would be among the many.

At the very edge of the wood they found the spot where they'd set up the tent and Mr. Weasley had no idea how to go about it so Harry, Lyla, and Hermione helped him figure it out and soon the two small tents were up and ready and Lyla tried to figure out how all of them were going to fit.

Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and crawled in and called for the rest of them to do the same and they all exchanged glances before going in one by one and when Lyla slipped inside she couldn't believe what she was looking at.

Inside it was enormous compared to the outside. It even had its own kitchen and bathroom and there were four bunk beds.

While she peered around Mr. Weasley sent Harry, Ron, and Hermione out for water and the rest out for firewood but Lyla asked him if she go see if she could find Connor. He told her to make it quick and she made her way to the tent opening only to be stopped by Fred and George who stepped into her path. "Where are you off to?" They asked and Lyla shrugged. "Connor's around here somewhere and I told him I'd stop by and say hello." She said.

"You didn't say anything to us!" Fred said and George shook his head in disbelief. "You come to the world cup with us and the first thing you want to do is run off to find someone else." He said and Lyla was getting a bit frustrated with the weird attitudes she was getting.

"I didn't think you two would care honestly. Do you want to come with me?" She asked and they nodded. "You say he's your 'best friend' so we demand to meet this 'Connor'." Fred said and George made a sound of approval and Lyla sighed with a shake of her head as Emmet crawled up Fred and perched on his shoulder for a ride. "Fine." She said.

They made their way through the many tents and Lyla took peeks into each one to see if she could find any sign of Connor or his mother. After about fifteen minutes of wandering around George tapped Lyla's shoulder and he pointed to a tent that had a flag that read "Salem's witches' Institute". "Isn't you're your old school?" He asked and she nodded and could barely contain her excitement as she saw her old potions teacher, a woman in her forties and a bit on the stocky side with wild black hair, gossiping with a woman she didn't recognize.

She quickly made her way over and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Hello, Professor McNilley." She said and the woman spared a glance up and gasped. She rose from her seat in a hurry. "Lyla Shanks is that really you?" She asked and gave her a hug. "How have you been, Dear?" She asked and Lyla shrugged. "I can't complain. I was accepted at Hogwarts to continue my schooling."

The woman smiled. "That's very good to hear. I couldn't believe what happened with Gregory Polliver. To think they expelled you…That boy is so cruel." She tisked and Lyla hoped she wouldn't say anything more in front of the twins whom Lyla introduced her to quickly not wanting to be rude.

She shook their hands in turn and then the witch that was sitting with Professor McNilly cleared her throat loudly. "Where are my manners?" McNilly introduced the woman as the new Herbology teacher at Salem's, Sharon Fleece.

"And this, Sharon." She set a hand on Lyla's shoulder to introduce her to the woman. "Was my greatest student in years, Lyla Shanks. She truly is a prodigy with potions." The woman gushed and Lyla could feel her face heat up with embarrassment. "Sometimes I felt like she should be teaching the class instead of me." McNilly chuckled and threw Lyla a wink.

They talked for a few minutes before Lyla had to cut their conversation short. She didn't want to be wandering for too long and keep Mr. Weasley waiting. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I'm actually looking for Connor." She explained. McNilly gave her a grin. "He's not far. I just saw him a bit ago." She pointed off down the rows. "I swear that boy has grown an inch a day since I last saw him." She laughed and Lyla's first thought was 'Oh, great. Another person to tower over me.'

"It was good to see you again, Ma'am. Enjoy the match." She waved and she and the twins continued on to find Connor. Lyla kept her eyes peeled but was getting a bit flustered with the immense amount of people when she saw his mother, a tall statuesque woman with wide shoulders and a gentle face and long flowing blonde hair tied back tightly.

"Ms. Langsley?" Lyla called out to the woman as she approach and the woman gave her a curious look before she smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Lyla! So good to see you! Connor said you'd be here!" She beamed and looked behind Lyla at the twins. "And who are your friends?" She asked. Fred and George stepped forward, hands extended as they introduced themselves.

Ms. Langsley waved them inside. "You three can wait inside. Connor should be back any minute now. I sent him out for water a while ago." She said and they all sat at the large dining table in the middle of their tent and Lyla asked her how things had been going for her. Ms. Langsley was a single mother who worked very hard to give her son the best. Connor's father had never been in the picture much.

The woman heaved a great sigh and told her of her recent issue at work and trying to balance her time so she could be home with Connor. "Working nights is so difficult." She explained as someone entered the tent and Lyla turned and her jaw dropped. 'what the hell..'

The boy set the water down and as soon as Lyla rose from the table to greet him he threw an arm around her neck and pulled her head into his chest to mess her hair up. Like it wasn't messed up enough! "Cut it out!" She tried to shove him off and it took her a few minutes to weasel out of his grasp.

She stepped back to smooth her hair down and get a good look at him while Emmet ran across the tent and sniffed at Connor. "Em!" He exclaimed and scooped the ferret up and gave him a look. "You've gotten kind of fat, Em." He said and poked the creature's nose.

Meanwhile Lyla could do nothing but stare at him for a moment. The short, chubby boy she'd befriended years ago was definitely not short anymore. He stood at about five foot eleven when he'd been her height when she'd left Salem's and as he'd sprouted up he'd shed a bunch of his baby fat. "Jesus, Conny. What have you been eating?" She asked him and looked at his mother in wonder.

He'd grown into his face which had been doughy but was beginning to show signs of masculinity in the way his jaw was angled and no longer were his cheeks chubby and round. On top of that he'd been letting his hair grow and it was a shaggy mess.

He grinned at her. "You haven't grown a bit, hedgehog." He said and she cringed at the pet name he'd begun calling her after she'd had her head shaved. She'd never told him how much she hated it though because she knew he was only trying to make her laugh about the incident. That was Connor's answer for almost everything. "Yeah yeah. I know. Don't rub it in." Lyla grumbled as he gave her a hug and shook her from side to side jarringly.

"It's karma for all the times you made fun of me for being short." He said and his eyes wandered to the twins sitting at the table who, when Connor released her, Lyla noticed they were snickering to each other. "I'm gonna assume these are the two you told me about?" Connor asked Lyla and approached the two, hand extended. "Nice to meet you two. Lyla's told me a lot about you guys." He said with a big smile as he shook their hands in turn.

Fred peered over to Lyla. "Funny. We haven't heard much about you until recently." He said and Connor threw her a look over his shoulder. "Is that right?" He asked.

They spent a while catching up but soon the twins mentioned they'd better get back before their father sent out a search party and Lyla agreed. They'd stayed for too long and Mr. Weasley would probably be wondering what was taking them so long and probably assume the worst from the twins. Besides they still had to get some firewood.

Connor looked a tad disappointed but he gave her another hug and so did his mother and even Emmet looked reluctant to leave.

As they went about getting firewood the twins teased her while Emmet flitted about grabbing tiny sticks after watching what they were doing.

"Oh, Lyla! I've missed you!" George was pretending to be Connor and grabbed his brother and stared into his eyes while Fred was obviously pretending to be her and gave his brother dreamy, oogly eyes. "Did you? Oh, Connor I've missed you too!" He squealed and threw his arms around George. The two then burst into a fit of laughter and Lyla shook her head at their show. "You two have some serious issues." She said and went about collecting more wood.

"You didn't tell us he was so…" Fred folded his hands and rocked back and forth with a feminine sway and a happy sigh. "Dreamy." He said and Lyla scowled. "You're delusional. Connor is not 'dreamy' in any way." She said. "And he definitely wasn't when I went to Salem's. He was my height and chubby. I barely recognized him." She said still not believing how quickly he'd grown. It was alarming.

George smirked and nudged his brother with his elbow. "Yeah…Right. So when's the wedding?" He asked and Lyla was getting fed up with their teasing. "I didn't know you were planning on marrying him." She shot back at him. "I wish you two the best." She said and ignored them all the way back to the tents where Mr. Weasley was talking with a man.

She quickly deposited the load of wood and headed into the tent to grab her backpack and change. The day was getting a bit warmer than it had been that morning but not much so she changed into a sweater that again, was a bit tighter, and she wanted to tear her hair out with frustration and she tugged on the material trying to get it to loosen up which only worked a little and she slipped into a pair of jeans that were new and actually fit.

When she left the bathroom Mr. Weasley was talking with a pair of men this time and she sat down with Hermione at the table and asked her who it was. The girl gaped at her. "That's Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch." She said and Lyla still had no clue who they were. Sometimes she wondered if she should study up on such things considering she knew little about politics here but she watched with interest as the men offered to take bets on the match between Bulgaria and Ireland and she wasn't surprised when Fred and George agreed to gamble.

Then they went on to talk of something they had to organize at Hogwarts and the second the men left Fred asked exactly what she'd been wondering, what they were talking about. Unfortunately his father gave him no information and told him that he would find out soon enough and dropped the matter.

As the sun began to set excitement began to grow and salesmen started popping up all over the place. Having a bit of money, Lyla went about looking at the souvenirs with the others and though she didn't really care for one team or the other only bought a glowing shamrock necklace that she found cute. The twins, having given up all their money for the bet, looked a bit disappointed and Lyla got them dancing shamrock hats so they don't feel too left out.

Their father wagged a finger at her. "You shouldn't have done that. It was their own fault for giving away all of their money." He said as she handed over the hats. "I just can't stand seeing someone left out of the fun." She told him.

Suddenly there came the booming sound of a gong and she peeked over and saw Green and Red lanterns lighting a path and Mr. Weasley told them it was time.

They all took to their trail, the twins faces split into enormous grins. Seriously they were going to have laugh lines before they would turned twenty at this rate.

Around them she could hear people finding their way through the wood. There was laughing and cheering and she could even hear people singing off in the distance. She could almost smell the excitement in the air.

Even though she'd only been to one actual Quidditch match she couldn't help but feel the excitement rubbing off on her. This event seemed huge and judging from the amount of people who'd shown up it had to be something really special.

George and Fred were joking along beside her but she drowned them out as they walked for a bit until they stood before an enormous stadium. Lyla's jaw dropped and she overheard Mr. Weasley tell Harry that the stadium seated a hundred thousand. 'Holy crap…' She thought to herself. Apparently she wasn't the only one dumbstruck by the structure. He went on to tell Harry about how the Ministry task force had been working for a long time on Muggle Repelling Charms.

"You're gonna start catching flies." George nudged her and her teeth clicked as she snapped her jaw shut.

Mr. Weasley led the way to an entrance where there was already a crowd of people waiting to get in.

A woman at the entrance checked their tickets and told them where they'd be heading and Lyla's stomach churned. There was only one thing she feared more than the dark and it was heights. The words "As high as you can go." Echoed in her ears and she felt bile rise in her throat immediately.

"I think she's in favor of the Irish because she's turning green!" Fred joked and George took a glance her way. "What's wrong with you?" He asked and Lyla shook her head determined not to let her fear get in the way of having a good time. She'd worked hard to convince her parents for her to go. She wasn't going to back out now. "Uhhh..Something I ate." She mumbled.

She began to climb the stairs with the crowd, her hand shaking on the railing and the higher they went the harder she shook until she finally looked down and quickly shut her eyes. Behind her, the twins asked. "What's the hold up? C'mon, Lyla. Move." They said and pushed at her back urging her forward.

She shakily kept going and when they finally reached their seats Lyla turned away from the field to collect herself and closed her eyes.

When she turned, her eyes went wide. They were in the highest point of the stadium and were damn near smack dab in the middle. Some would consider these the perfect seats but Lyla, as she gazed around, felt woozy.

"Are you alright, Lyla?" Mr. Weasley asked and she nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just…A little absolutely terrified of heights." Shee said and the twins laughed at her. "You're in the wrong position to be scared of heights right now." George said and the two peered over the railing to stare down at the people below.

"Come over here, Lyla. You've gotta see this!" They exclaimed and she shook her head furiously. "Didn't you hear what I just said?" She said and they rolled their eyes and grabbed her and dragged her to the railing. "Come on I could see just fine from where I was. I don't need to be-"

She stared at the field in astonishment and at the amount of people crammed into the stadium and more and more were taking their seats as she watched. Then she made the mistake of looking down and nearly fainted. She instantly feared falling over the railing. "No worries, Lyla. We've got you." Fred snickered in amusement at just how awful this experience was for her.

They hooked elbows with her and it made her feel a bit better. Besides, this stadium was full of witches and wizards. Even if she did fall she'd be fine. Right?

From behind her she heard Hermione say something about team mascots performing before the match and Mr. Weasley sounded very happy about this saying it was always worth a watch and Lyla wondered just how long she'd make it through this before either hurling or fainting.

For the next half an hour Fred and George attempted to distract her from her fear of heights as people filled into their seats. It seemed like every time she looked over their father was shaking hands with someone new. Eventually the twins saw that she was watching Percy who looked like he'd just met some great emperor as a man approached.

"That's Cornelius Fudge." Fred told her. "The minister of magic." George further explained. The man looked like he knew Harry and was introducing him to two other wizards.

Lyla stared down at her necklace feeling a bit out of place. Everyone else knew who these people were and she had no clue. She decided it didn't matter and went back to playing with Emmet who was fascinated by the way her necklace glowed. He kept grabbing at it and trying to take a bite out of it.

"Look who it is." Fred grumbled and she glanced over to see Draco Malfoy and his parents. Lyla didn't feel like paying much attention to them but as they left and took their seats she caught Draco sneering over at Harry and was reminded of her vision of when Hermione punched the boy in the face. It made her giggle and the twins gave her a look which she ignored.

A few moments later she heard a booming voice welcoming everyone to the world cup and she assumed it was about to begin so she stood and joined Fred and George at the railing, determined not to worry about the height. Instead she focused on the arena and how much work must have gone into it all for it to look so magnificent. People were cheering wildly and flags were waving all around of the two teams about to play.

The first mascots were introduced. Veela. Lyla had heard of them and suddenly a flock of them entered onto the field and Lyla suddenly felt very very plain compared to these beautiful creatures. She heard the twins on either side of her inhale sharply and she spared them glances to see that they looked love struck. The Veela began to dance and though Lyla enjoyed the performance very much the men around her seemed to be far more interested than she was.

She watched the twins lean closer to the railing and both of them put a foot up on it as if they were about to jump off. Horrified, she grabbed them both by an elbow and jerked them back just as the music stopped and shouts of disapproval filled the air. The two blinked, confused and looked back at her. "What?" They asked and she shook her head. "Nothing." She said and forgot all about it as soon as the Irish mascots entered the stadium.

The display was truly impressive and as the realization dawned on her that it was leprechauns as gold coins began falling all around leaving people fighting over it all over the place. Even Fred and George were struggling to stuff as many as they could into their pockets but Lyla left it all untouched fearing getting trampled if she so much as reached for one.

The teams began to take the field, the players introduced one at a time and before she knew it the match was in full swing as the balls were released. Lyla had never seen anything like it before in her life. Even the match she'd watched at Hogwarts couldn't compare to this. The speed of the players as they zoomed around the field was insane and she could barely watch without getting dizzy but the match was proving its worth by distracting her from how high up they were.

Ireland scored and the twins lost their minds. They were already shouting but now they were screaming at the top of their lungs and jumping up and down excitedly and when they scored two more times Lyla thought they were going to leap from the railing in excitement but it was rubbing off on her and though at first she'd just been clapping she was now chanting "Ireland" with the rest of the crowd and pumping her fist in the air.

The match went on with Bulgaria scoring their first goal and the Veela began to dance again and she looked to the twins but they had their fingers stuffed into their ears and were trying to focus on the match. She almost felt proud. Suddenly the two seekers were diving and it turned out Krum was feinting resulting in the Irish seeker to crash to the ground just as Krum stopped, unharmed.

There was a break as medics rushed onto the field and Fred suddenly snapped his head her way. "What are you doing?" He asked and she looked up at him curiously wondering what he was talking about until she realized her hand atop his on the railing. "Oops. Sorry." She quickly removed it and watched as the Bulgarian seeker searched for the snitch while his opponent was out of commission for the time being and she ignored the fact that Fred was giving her a strange look which she noticed out of the corner of her eye.

Cheering erupted as the Irish seeker was back on his feet and was back in the air which seemed to boost the morale of his team because they began to play even more fiercely than they had been before and Lyla gazed in admiration as the Irish scored ten more goals in mere minutes.

After a while Lyla wondered why she'd never gotten into the sport before. It was amazing watching the way the teams formed plays and it was like art. Minutes passed and suddenly Lyla looked down at the mascots and noticed the leprechauns making a crude hand gesture at the Veela who began throwing fire back at them, their faces contorted and . Weasley was laughing about how that was the reason they shouldn't go for looks and the next time the Irish scored the Veela were freaking out and when she looked back up at the match Krum was taking a Bludger to the face.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!" She covered her mouth but in the next moment the Irish seeker was diving and people were roaring in their seats. "The snitch!" The twins gasped but unfortunately, once again, the Irish seeker crashed and Krum was clutching the snitch in his fist.

Ireland won with one hundred and seventy points, the Bulgarian team only ten points behind.

The players were brought into the top box and Lyla was impressed with the teams seeing them up close except for Krum who looked awful. She had to look away from the bloody mess that was his face.

Fred and George were giddy and Lyla realized why when the announcer, the one the boys had made a bet with asked them how much he owed them. The two outstretched their hands happily.

Making their way down the stairs Lyla felt better and better the closer they got to the ground. In front of her Mr. Weasley was telling the twins not to tell their mother about their gambling to which they replied that they wouldn't because they had plans for it and shot mischievous grins at her.

As they made their way back to their tent Lyla gazed around at the leprechauns flying overhead and didn't notice the twins sneaking up to her until she was lifted on their shoulders and spun around quickly. She knew they were excited and in very high spirits but she wasn't appreciative of the dizzying experience but she was just glad she wasn't still up in the top box.

She shrieked with laughter as they began to jog and nearly fell from their shoulders but Mr. Weasley caught her and she steadied herself, still dizzy as the two laughed and she chased after them but not before catching Ginny giving Hermione a knowing look and pointing. She ignored it and simply enjoyed the fun.

Back in the tent they were allowed to stay up a bit later than intended because of the noise and the boys were giving play by plays and Ron wouldn't shut up about the Bulgarian seeker, Krum. He sounded like a girl with a crush and Ginny teased him about it while the twins pretended to play flutes and danced around, giddy.

Lyla simply sat back with Emmet who looked exhausted and was curled up in her lap. Soon she, Hermione, and Ginny left for the next tent when Mr. Weasley told them all it was time for bed.

As she settled into her bed Hermione turned onto her side across from her. "Did you have fun?" She asked and Lyla nodded. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time. I will never forget this night." She told her. "How about you?" She asked.

Ginny poked her head over the top bunk above Hermione while Hermione said she probably wouldn't be able to sleep because of all the excitement still in the air.

The girls decided to stay up and talk for a bit. Since they would be starting back at school Lyla asked Hermione how her O.W.L results had been and wasn't shocked when she told her of her marks. "You really are the smartest girl I have ever met." Lyla told her and Ginny nodded. "I hope I make marks like you on my exams." She told her while playing with Emmet who'd grown quite fond of Ginny.

The girls eventually went to sleep but Lyla lay awake, staring up at the bunk above her while Emmet snoozed on her stomach.

She began thinking about Connor. Seeing him again had been a shock to her system and she recalled the reaction Fred and George had towards him and their completely unfounded teasing afterwards.

She tried not to disturb Emmet as she reached beside the bed for the backpack she'd brought along and took the crystal ball George had given her out. Connor's face swirled inside and she smiled. She really had missed him. She was really glad he hadn't forgotten about her.

She turned the ball in her hand running her fingers over the smooth surface. Almost the whole break it had shown her the twins faces whenever she looked at it. Occasionally it would be Harry's or Hermione's and once it had shown her Angelina's but mostly it was the twins.

She didn't remember dozing off but when she woke up it was to a cold sweat breaking out all over her body and loud noise from outside the tent just before Percy burst into their tent, wand out. She immediately felt like something was wrong and she shook her dream from her head. Again it had been of that strange image she'd been dreaming of nearly every night since she'd arrived at the Weasley's home, an enormous skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth.

"Get up! Get up!" He urged and the other two girls sat up and Lyla's heart began to pound as screaming filtered into the tent with pounding footsteps. Emmet jumped up and Lyla noticed that his hair was sticking up. "Everyone outside!" Percy ordered and Lyla quickly stuffed her crystal ball into her bag and took it with her as the girls left the tent as they were told.

Outside, Lyla's eyes took in the sight of people running as her eyes adjusted. In the distance there was a crowd, wands out and shooting off spells while shouting and laughing. A flash of green light illuminated the area and Lyla spotted people floating above the crowd, two of them looked like children.

Her temper flared and, not thinking, took out her wand and started towards the crowd but she was suddenly grabbed from behind and Hermione was shaking her head at her with wide eyes. "Don't." She said and Lyla returned her gaze to the group crossing the field setting tents on fire and more people joining them. "Someone has to do something!" She exclaimed and her fist tightened around her wand as one of the wizards flipped one of the figures over causing her nightgown to fall revealing her body.

Lyla seethed but Hermione gripped her wrist tighter and shook her head again. The older Weasley men announced they were going to help the Ministry and for the rest of them to go into the wood and hide before running off and George grabbed her hand and tugged on it. "Come on." He said while his brother grabbed Ginny and they took off into the woods. Lyla kept looking back wishing there was something she could do but even if she was old enough to use magic she probably wouldn't be much help thanks to her crappy skills with her wand.

Inside the woods, Lyla heard other around her and her spirit sank as she heard the cries of children and people screaming. George's grip tightened on her hand and she was thankful that she wasn't alone.

Ron cried out in pain but it faded into the night as George dragged her along and pulled her deeper into the wood. It was pitch black, the lanterns from earlier extinguished, but she assumed they were following Fred and Ginny.

No longer able to handle being in the dark, company or not, she took out her wand. "Lumos." She illuminated the path as she was pulled along and she could make out Fred and Ginny a bit further ahead than them.

Suddenly they stopped and so did George but Lyla's momentum sent both her and George sprawling out in the dirt, her wand flying out of her hand and landing a few feet away. "Ouch.." She grumbled and pushed off of his chest. "Jeeze, Lyla. Great timing to be a clutz." George groaned beneath her and someone picked up her wand and shone the light on them.

Ginny nearly blinded her and she shielded her eyes. "Oops. Sorry." The girl lowered her wand and Fred smirked. "This is not the time for a romantic romp in the woods." He said and Lyla scowled at him and got to her feet. Even in a time like this he was being snarky.

She retrieved her wand from Ginny and the girl looked around. "Where's Harry? Or Ron?" Her eyes went wide. "Oh no! We've lost them!" She cried and Fred comforted his sister. "It's okay. We'll find 'em." He said as George brushed himself off. "They can't have gone far." He said and took out his wand as well.

A bang resounded from the edge of the wood that made Lyla jump again. "Are they coming in?" She whispered and George took her hand again. "We should keep going." He said and again they took off this time at a slower pace but getting through the other groups of people they somehow lost Fred and Ginny along the way and they stopped, looking around trying to spot where they gone.

"Fred!" George shouted for his brother but there was no reply and George swore under his breath. "Emmet." Lyla hissed suddenly realizing she hadn't seen her furry companion since they made it into the woods. At his name the ferret scurried towards them, his beady eyes darting all over the place and she scooped him up and held him tightly, happy she hadn't lost him.

Lyla didn't know what to do. Her head was spinning trying to figure out which direction the two could have gone in but George pulled her off again and they didn't stop until they found a spot that was void of too many people. There were a few teenagers huddled together off to the right and it sounded like one of the girls was crying.

"George do you have the compass I got you for your birthday?" She asked him. The chance was extremely slim but it was worth a shot. He shook his head. "No it's at home packed with the rest of my things." He said and Lyla swore. He set a hand on her shoulder and attempted a smile but she could tell it was forced. "Well find the others. Everything will be okay." He told her and she nodded, hoping against hope that he was right.

She heard another bang off in the distance and inched closer to George who placed a comforting arm around her shoulder and suddenly Lyla felt a bit nauseas and leaned against him. "Ugh.." She groaned and placed a hand to her stomach. "You alright?" He asked. "No." She shook her head and closed her eyes and behind her eyelids flashed an image. The same one she'd been seeing in her dreams and she would have collapsed if it weren't for George with the intensity it hit her with.

"What is it?" He asked and she put a hand to her head, dizzy from the sudden and brief vision. "I saw something." She muttered and closed her eyes trying to bring it back. "What?" He asked and above them the sky lit up, stealing their attention.

A gigantic skull appeared in the sky, bright green with a snake coming out of its mouth. George instinctively pulled her against him and she gazed up at it as screams erupted from the woods. "That's it." She said. "That's what I saw." She pointed and George suddenly shoved her. "Go." He said and Lyla was confused.

"Lyla we need to get out of here!" He shouted and since she wasn't moving fast enough he was once again pulling her through the woods. Alongside them were people frantic to leave the area and she asked him. "What is it?" In between huffs of breath.

"It's the dark mark. It's You-know-who's mark." He said and for once Lyla actually knew who the hell someone was. "Voldemort?" She asked and he didn't answer her.

They went back to the tent, the group that had been terrorizing the campsite gone, and Lyla collapsed on her hands and knees the second they were inside, Emmet running around like a maniac. She was out of breath and her head was spinning, the image flashing behind her eyelids every time she blinked.

George lifted her under the arms and moved her from in front of the entrance just as Fred and Ginny came in. "Is she okay?" Ginny asked and Fred helped his brother move her to a chair. "Water." She requested and Ginny brought her a cup a moment later which Lyla chugged. "What's wrong with her?" She asked George who looked at a loss for words.

"Lyla's different." Was all he could come up with to tell her.

One by one the Weasley's returned and eventually so did the rest and when they did they revealed that they couldn't say for sure who'd conjured the dark mark but someone's house elf was found with a wand at the scene of the crime.

A good many things needed to be explained as questions flew about but Lyla couldn't, for the life of her, follow the conversation and fell asleep in the chair.

…..

** Crazy stuff, huh? Looking back on writing this chapter I think I slept for about two hours in all trying to get this typed out so I could post it tonight. My goal has been to post a chapter every night and hopefully I'll be able to stick to that, sleep be damned! Of course I'm sure there will be a few exceptions when it takes me an extra day to finish a chapter but hopefully those will be few and far between.**

** Anyways, as always, thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter four: Back To School

**Wicked! Chapter four**: Back To School.

**Summary**: In this chapter it's time for everyone to get back to school and they finally find out what all the mystery surrounding Hogwarts this year is all about!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to Harry Potter nor the characters blah blah blah...

...

Lyla woke sometime in the early morning to someone gently shaking her and she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and Mr. Weasley's face slowly came into focus with concern etched into his usually smiling face. "Is it time to go already?" She asked as she sat up and found herself lying on a sleeping bag on the floor of the boy's tent. She couldn't even remember falling asleep.

"Yes." Mr. Weasley nodded and she glanced around to see a good many stares aimed her way and she arched an eyebrow. "What? Was I snoring?" She wiped at her mouth to see if she'd been drooling but Mr. Weasley shook his head and Bill crouched down next to her with a cup of water. She took it wondering what the hell the look on his face was about but her throat was terribly dry so she thanked and took a sip. "You were talking in your sleep." He said and Ron, his face full of disbelief, said "Talking? She sounded like she was possessed!" He exclaimed and Mr. Weasley frowned at him. "Ron. Enough." He scolded him and Hermione glared at him. "She can't help it!" She snapped at him and Lyla turned red all over, nearly choking on her water.

"What did I say?" She asked hoping someone would tell her unlike Dumbledore last time something like this happened.

No one seemed to want to answer here. Even the twins were being quiet which left Lyla confused and eager to know. "You…" Charlie was stuffing a hat onto his head as he spoke. "You kept saying 'he's coming' and 'he will rise'." He said and Lyla recalled Dumbledore telling her she'd said 'he's coming' the year before and she thought she been referring to Sirius Black but Black was innocent so there was no way she could be talking about him.

Mr. Weasley looked uncomfortable as Charlie stared at her. "And with what happened last night you can understand how everyone's a bit on edge." He said and Mr. Weasley cleared his throat as Lyla stared back at Charlie, dumbfounded. The man squeezed her shoulder. "I think this is a matter you should discuss with Dumbledore. Not us." He said and he stood and told everyone to hurry up and get ready to leave.

After quickly packing up the tents they left the campsite, Lyla searching her brain for answers. Had she really been talking about Voldemort? But he was dead wasn't he? How could he rise?

"No worries, Lyla." Fred said as he and his brother walked with her. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have an explanation." George said and the two offered her smiles though Lyla couldn't bring herself to give one in return.

When they arrived where the Portkeys were located Lyla could hear voices, impatient ones, and there were hundreds of people trying to get out of the campsite in haste. Not too far away she saw Connor and she was immediately relieved to see that he and his mother were fine and while they waited Lyla quickly ran over to him and threw her arms around them both. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She exclaimed.

"Lyla! You're alright!" Ms. Langsley squeezed her tightly back. "Connor and I were worried sick." She said and Connor hugged her again. "I tried to find you but in all the commotion I thought.." He trailed off and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're not hurt." He said and she wanted to say the same but the twins called her name and told her it was time to go. She quickly hugged them both again and told Connor to write to her at Hogwarts before rejoining her group.

They caught an old tire back to the Weasley home and walked quickly. "They really look like they care for you." George said as the home came upon the home and Lyla nodded. "Ms. Langsley is like a second mother to me." She said and from the yard she could hear Mrs. Weasley shouting as she ran across the yard towards them. "Thank goodness!" She threw her arms around her husband repeating how worried she'd been and then grabbed the twins so roughly they banged heads. She began to cry, holding them tightly regretting how she'd been yelling at them before they'd left and it took Mr. Weasley prying her away from them to get her to calm down enough for them all to congregate into the kitchen so Mr. Weasley could read the news paper.

The article bashed the ministry, blaming them for the incidents, and if Lyla'd had the strength she probably would have been offended but for the life of her all she could manage to dull was listed dully.

Mr. Weasley told his wife he'd be having to go to the office to help smooth things over and Percy offered to go with him and Mrs. Weasley wasn't too happy and said that he was supposed to be on holiday and that the ministry should be able to handle it without him but the man insisted and went off to change into his robes.

Harry then asked if an owl had arrived for him and Lyla wondered what kind of question that was at a time like this. Mrs. Weasley's answer was a clipped 'no' and Harry, Ron, and Hermione went upstairs to put down their bags.

Lyla pushed herself off the wall she'd chosen to lean against and went to drop her bag in Ginny's room but when she got there she sat on the bed and rested her elbows on her knees as she hung her head. Things were starting up again. Her visions, the weird feelings that something was coming, and the confusion that came with it all. It was happening again and Lyla had no answers again.

She rubbed her eyes let out a heavy sigh trying to push it all away for now. Just for a little while so she could collect herself but every time she closed her eyes it was as if the dark mark had been permanently etched into the back of her eyelids. With the lack of sleep, the heavy feeling of dread weighing in her chest, and the knowledge that something was waiting to show itself to her in its own time but she couldn't make it happen made her eyes begin to swim with tears but she quickly wiped them away and took a deep breath. Crying wouldn't help anything. It would only waste time and make her feel ashamed. Emmet made a soft noise and set his head on her lap, his nose twitching.

"Lyla?" Ginny had entered the room and Lyla felt the bed sag as she took a seat next to her. "Are you okay?" She asked and Lyla quickly nodded. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired is all." She lied and faked a yawn that she hoped would be convincing.

"Well the boys are going to play Quidditch in the orchard if you'd like to watch." She said and Lyla shook her head. "No thank you. I think I'm just going to write to my parents and the Langsley's and then read a bit." She said and the girl smiled and shook her head. "I wouldn't bet on it. I'm sure George and Fred aren't going to like that news." She giggled and then patted Lyla on the back. "I'll try to make sure they leave you alone though." She said and then she was gone.

She didn't hear from the twins after a few minutes so she guessed she would be safe to have some time to herself and she dragged herself to the bathroom to take a shower but as the water hit her body Lyla's will seemed to break because the next thing she knew she was crying. It was a shock to her system at first and the flood of tears was uncontrollable and she tried to be as quiet as possible, biting back any sobs that threatened to give her away and it took her a few minutes to get it under control.

She got out of the shower and began splashing cold water on her face and staring at her puffy red eyes feeling a bit ashamed but at the same time lighter in some way. Like she'd shaken off some great burden.

Lyla put on her pajamas and left the bathroom feeling like all she wanted to do was lounge around in her tanktop and loose bottoms and when she returned to Ginny's room Mrs. Weasley was placing a letter on the bed she'd been sleeping in.

When she entered, the woman smiled. "An owl arrived for you so I thought I'd leave the letter here instead of bothering you in the shower." She said and then seemed to notice her eyes and her smile fell to be replaced with concern and she hurried over to her. "What's wrong?" She asked and took Lyla by the shoulders and led her over to the bed to sit down.

"It's nothing. I just.." Lyla tried to come up with some excuse but she failed and sighed. "Last night was just a bit hard to experience." She said only admitting to that small part. "The way they treated those people…." Lyla shook her head and Mrs. Weasley pulled her head onto her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smoothed her hair. "I know.." She said and held her for a moment. "It was awful that you all had to see that." Mrs. Weasley released her and placed her hands on Lyla's shoulders. "Sometimes dreadful things happen and sometimes we see things that we can never forget." She said and wiped a tear that leaked from Lyla's eye. "But then good things come along and we're given people who help us make it through those rough times and Lyla you have no shortage of people around you more than happy to make you smile if you'll let them."

Mrs. Weasley smiled then and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. "Especially those two troublesome boys of mine. They've taken a real shine to you." She stood and Lyla was suddenly struck by the fear that she would tell them she'd caught her crying. "Mrs. Weasley? Can you keep this…Between us?" She asked not willing to deal with the backlash from Fred and George.

The woman nodded. "No worries." She said and left the room telling her she expected to see her at dinner.

After the woman had gone Lyla read the letter. It was from her parents who'd heard what happened at the World Cup and they were worried so she quickly responded telling them she was fine and that the Weasley's had taken care of her through it all. She set the letter aside and figured she could wait until dinner to ask if she could use an owl to send it out. She then wrote a letter to Connor and his mother telling them that she was glad they were okay and that it had been wonderful seeing them. She would probably wait a few days to send it off not wanting to bother them the moment they returned home.

She didn't go downstairs until dinner and Mrs. Weasley allowed her to send off her letter before she sat down to eat which she did so quietly while the boys talked of their match of Quidditch. "You should have seen it, Lyla it was hilarious!" Fred said in regards to something she'd missed in the conversation. She'd been in and out of it the whole time and nodded trying to seem interested.

After dinner Lyla was ready to head back up to Ginny's room and go to bed but Fred and George suddenly yanked her off to the side and rushed her outside. "Hey!" Lyla yelped.

"Shhh!" The two hushed her and Lyla glared at them in the dwindling sunlight. "What?" She asked and they glared right back. "What's up with you? George said you had a vision last night and then you were having them while you slept and freaking everyone out and we haven't seen you since we got back, that's what!" Fred snapped.

Lyla didn't feel like going into it with them but it seemed like they weren't going to give her much choice. "Yeah? So? Since when are my visions news?" She asked knowing she was giving them an attitude and she really shouldn't. "Since you started having them about…" George lowered his voice. "You know who." He said and Lyla clasped her hands behind her back tightly. "I don't know for a fact that they're about Voldemort." She said and the two cringed a bit at the name.

"Bull!" Fred hissed at her. "There's no way they're not about him. We saw the dark mark, you've had visions about it…It's him." He said matter of factly and Lyla didn't have the energy to argue any longer. "And what if they are? What am I going to do about it when they don't make any sense?" She asked and George took her by the shoulders and shook her a little. "You've got to have another!" He said. "People could be in danger!" He said and Lyla shoved him off.

"I'm not a machine that can just pop out visions!" She glared at the two and stormed back into the house. If anyone should understand the situation it should be them but they were acting like she could control what she saw. Sure, she'd forced herself to have visions twice in the past but it wasn't something she could do on a whim every time she wanted!

They followed her and Mrs. Weasley shot them looks from the living room as Lyla headed for the stairs and started climbing them quickly. "Hey! Wait wait wait!" Fred grabbed her elbow and she jerked it away from him, highly agitated. "We're sorry. We just meant that maybe you should try to have another vision because this could be really important." Fred explained.

Lyla rolled her eyes. "Oh really? I had no clue. I thought this was normal business as usual." She snapped sarcastically. "Of course it's important but pressuring me to have a vision isn't going to make it happen any sooner." She said and left the two standing on the steps as she fled to Ginny's room hoping for some peace and quiet.

It took her a few days to fully forgive the two but by the night before they'd be heading back to Hogwarts Lyla had put their spat behind her, not wanting to dwell on it. They'd apologized for treating her like a 'vision machine' and she'd apologized for being an ass.

As they all sat around that night it was raining quit hard and Lyla was watching the storm outside and found it oddly comforting as the wind howled against the windows. Not even Mrs. Weasley shouting at Fred and George couldn't break her concentration as she went about reading one of her school textbooks on spells for her year. She still had plenty she needed to learn from previous years but it wouldn't hurt knowing what she'd need to know for this year.

When Mr. Weasley arrived home it wasn't too long before an argument broke out and Lyla trudged to Ginny's room to find that Mrs. Weasley had done some of her school shopping for her. She hadn't even noticed it before and though she'd had her textbooks already the woman had done her the favor or filling all of her potion needs and Lyla made a mental note to pay her back the next time her parents sent her money.

On top of that there was a package that, when Lyla opened it, her face flushed deep red and pulled it out of the wrapping as Ginny came in and giggled at her expression. "What is this?" Lyla asked the girl and Ginny tilted her head. "It's a dress, silly." She said and Lyla shook her head at the silky material. "I know that. I meant why is this in here? Is this yours?" She asked and Ginny shook her head. "No. I've already got mine. Did you even read your list for this year?" The girl asked and Lyla tried to remember anything about a dress but pulled nothing but blanks. "I guess not." She grumbled.

Ginny laughed at her and took the dress from her holding it against Lyla, the bottom sweeping the floor gently. "All the girls need nice dresses this year and the boys need dress robes." She told her and handed the dress back to Lyla with an approving nod. "It will look wonderful on you." She said and went to check if she had everything packed.

Lyla continued to stare at the dress until Fred and George poked their heads into the room and she quickly shoved it into one of her suitcases before they could see it and it turned out they'd come to show off their dress robes which they held up in front of them. "Pretty snazzy, huh?" They said and Lyla tried to imagine them in them but she just couldn't.

They hung out for a little bit before Mrs. Weasley came in to tell them to get to bed.

It was still raining when Lyla was woken up the next morning and while she threw on her school robes, not wanting to change last minute like she'd done the year before she wanted to crawl back into bed, the steady downpour making her groggy and sleepy.

When she went downstairs she nearly collided with Mr. Weasley who was rushing down the stairs and she waited for him to pass before heading down into the kitchen to sit at the table while the man was talking to a head in the fireplace? She'd had to look twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things but sure enough when she looked again there was Mr. Diggory's head and he was going on about dustbins and someone called Mad eye and after a few minutes Mr. Weasley was rushing out the door. Lyla ate slowly, mostly picking at her food as the others went on about Mad Eye.

Lyla was shocked when Mrs. Weasley had taxis pick them up to take them to the station. Not even her parents used those much and when they did it was out of complete desperation. They hated the way Muggles drove saying they were far too angry on the roads.

Lyla was crammed into one with Fred and George and sometime during the ride fireworks went off from Fred's luggage scaring the hell out of Emmet and Hermione's cat. Emmet darted under her robes while Crookshanks clawed the taxi driver's leg.

When they got to the station Lyla was all too happy to be out of the taxi and she dragged her luggage onto platform nine and three quarters trying to be as casual as possible and luckily Charlie lent her a hand with she thanked him for as he helped her store her luggage on the train. She then went back onto the platform to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and thanked her for everything. Bill and Charlie were going on about something happening at Hogwarts and the twins pestered them about it but they gave no details and soon the whistle blew and Lyla hopped back on the train with the rest after giving Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie hugs and thanking them for the fun time.

"I think Lyla might fancy Charlie." Fred snickered behind her as they found their way to the compartment where they'd stored their luggage. Lyla plopped down into the seat with a roll of her eyes. "Why do you think I have an interest in everyone who's nice to me?" She asked and George shut the compartment door and took the seat across from her, stretching his legs out which gave Fred no other choice but to sit next to Lyla.

"Because you looked to be having the time of your life while dancing with him at the party and you talked to him longer than anyone while you stayed with us." He said and Lyla shook her head. "He's a nice guy and he works with dragons. Of course I wanted to talk to him. I've never seen a dragon before and he had so many stories." She explained and Fred smirked. "He seemed real keen on you too." He said and she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I'm still a child in his eyes!" She exclaimed and, for once, George disagreed with his brother. "Yeah I don't think Charlie's interested in Lyla." He said and Lyla was grateful that someone was on her side. "Thank you." She told him and Fred rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He said and dropped the subject.

As the train made its way through the countryside the twins went on about something called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and when Lyla asked them about it they were more than happy to tell her all about it and Lyla was actually impressed that the two were so passionate about something. If they applied that kind of dedication to their schoolwork then they'd have top marks.

The longer they traveled the worse the weather got until it was so dark the lanterns had to be lit and Lyla felt herself dozing in her seat. Emmet had curled up for a nap a while ago and soon Lyla couldn't keep her eyes open.

The train lurched to a stop, jarring Lyla from her sleep and she realized that sometime after she'd fallen asleep she'd leaned on Fred who was staring at her now as she sat up and wiped her mouth hoping she hadn't drooled on him. "About time you woke up." He said and she glowered at him. "You could have pushed me off." She said. "And have you snap at me?" He asked and she looked out the window to see they'd arrived.

George stood and Lyla and Fred followed him out as the train doors opened up and they found they'd be riding in carriages up to the school and she and the twins ran to one as fast as possible. George made it in first and she was right behind him and Fred pushed her in his haste to get out of the downpour that she was sent sprawling onto George in the seat.

"Hey!" She glared at Fred who laughed and shook the water out of his hair onto her and George while they untangled themselves from one another which proved to be a bit difficult as the carriage began to move, jostling them around with the bumpy ride. Finally they managed it and Lyla moved across the carriage to sit across from the twins while Emmet tried to clean himself, his fur drenched.

When they arrived they were all rushed into the great hall in mass and Lyla could only imagine how much mopping would be done after this mess and Lyla crossed her arms over her chest shivering even though it was much warmer inside than it was out.

She took a seat at the Gryffindor table with the twins across from Harry, Ron, and Hermione and she was definitely looking forward to the fear since she hadn't eaten much for breakfast and her stomach now growled like a rabid animal and she wasn't the only one. All around she could hear students grumbling, ready for the food to appear so they could dig in. Of course they'd have to wait until after the sorting ceremony.

Professor McGonagall then led in the first years and when she pulled up the stool in the front of the hall the sorting hat began to sing which Lyla was curious about because she didn't remember I singing the year before but she clapped all the same when it ended and the sorting began. It was a nice ceremony and Lyla was happy for the first years starting out on their journeys but she was far more concerned with filling her belly than paying attention to who went where.

When it ended Lyla's stomach gave another vicious growl and she rubbed it telling it that it wouldn't be much longer now and she waited for the food to appear and when it didn't she gazed at her plate longingly before looking towards the front of the hall wondering what the holdup was and just as she did the food popped up and she sighed with relief and began piling her plate full. There would be no worry about calories tonight. No way. She quickly stuffed her face, her stomach going quiet.

"Easy, Lyla." George was staring at her as if she were a wild animal who'd gotten its claws on a juicy bit of prey. "Don't choke." Fred said next to him and she paid them no mind. They acted as if they were civilized gentlemen with the way they'd attacked their plates.

When the first course was finished, Lyla patted her belly as she wiped her mouth with a napkin and deserts filled the table. She didn't eat much of them but she thoroughly enjoyed them and after everyone was finished eating Dumbledore got to his feet and everyone went quiet telling them all he had some announcements to make.

First he reminded them that the forest was out of bounds for all students and so was Hogsmeade to anyone less than the third year and then he announced that they would be no Quidditch, and Lyla swore she heard the twins sob at the news, because there would be a different activity taking place at Hogwarts and Lyla assumed that was what everyone had been going on about that was confidential.

Dumbledore was in the middle of telling them what it would be and quelling the curiosity but he was interrupted by someone suddenly entering the great hall. It was an older man with a strange eye and in his fist he gripped a long, gnarly walking stick. The man made his way up to the table where the teacher's sat and shook hands with Dumbledore and the two exchanged words shortly before the man took a seat.

Dumbledore introduced the man as their new defense against the dark arts teacher, Professor Moody and Lyla recalled the conversation about Mad Eye Moody just as everyone began to whisper about him. The whispers continued until Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued his earlier announcement.

When the man announced that Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament many students gasped and excitement rose up among the tables. Next to her Fred exclaimed the man must be joking but Dumbledore informed him he was not. Lyla had no idea what was going on and was very happy that the man went on to explain.

As the man explained Fred looked way too excited and began grinning from ear to ear saying he'd be going for it and Lyla stared at him, bewildered. Dumbledore said these tasks the champions would be doing would be extremely dangerous. What if he got hurt? She couldn't help but feel relieved when Dumbldore said no one could enter unless they were seventeen or older and Fred and George simultaneously shouted angrily.

After the announcement they were all dismissed and the students rose from their tables and headed for the doors. George was furious and was going on about how unfair it was that they couldn't enter the tournament and they began plotting how they would get past the age limit. Fred nudged her and grinned. "I think a few drops of an aging potion would do the trick." He waggled his eyebrows and Lyla rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. The last time you two tried to make your own potion you ended up with your eyes bulging out of your heads the size of dinner plates." She said as they all made their way up the stairs to Gryffindor tower.

"Besides I'm sure Dumbledore will have already thought of that." She said and they grinned. "Yeah but we have the best potions student in the whole school on our side." George said and he quickly gave the fat lady the password and she let them into the common. "And why would I help you enter this extremely dangerous tournament?" She asked definitely ready to go upstairs and change out her wet clothes and crawl into bed.

Fred and George exchanged looks and then smirked at her. "Because you owe us." They said and Lyla rolled her eyes and headed up the steps to the girls dormitories to find her room where she quickly got ready for bed. Emmet was already under the covers curled up in a little ball and shivering when she did the same and she was extremely glad the second her head hit the pillow and soon fell asleep to the sound of the rain pounding against the window steadily as a lullaby.

….

**Finally! It's good to be writing about these kids back in school. Especially now that the time will be drawing near for the Triwizard Tournament and Lyla can get back to her spell practice! of course it's going to come with a price! **

** Thanks for reading and see ya next time! **


	5. Chapter five: Unforgivable

**Wicked! chapter five**: Unforgivable.

**Summary**: Hey all and welcome to chapter five! This has got to have been the most fun chapter I've written and you'll see why as you read it. We've got some classes, a vision, some practice, and some teenage awkwardness and who doesn't love that? Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to Harry Potter nor the characters blah blah blah...No Affiliations blah blah blaaaaahhh.

...

Breakfast the next morning was difficult for Lyla to choke down. She'd never been the type with the stomach to handle breakfast. It always took her a few hours to be able to eat anything after waking up but she didn't want her first day of classes to be full of distracting growls from her stomach so she ate what she could even though the very smell of the food made it all the more unappealing.

After receiving her schedule Lyla looked it over while she nibbled on a bit of sausage and she was joined by George and Fred who yanked her schedule from her to look it over. "You made it into Defense against the Dark Arts too?" He asked and smiled. "We've got it too. Same time." George said as he looked over the schedule after his brother. "We barely made it in though." Fred said and began to fill his plate. "And the only reason we wanted to take it was because we get to learn the unforgivable curses." George said and handed the schedule back to her.

"Are you serious?" She asked with a mouthful of eggs, nearly spitting them out at the confession. Of course then she remembered who she was talking to and it came as less of a surprise. Leave it to these two to want to learn something like that. "We get to learn how to defend ourselves from them so it's not all bad." Fred tried to give a logical explanation but Lyla knew that wasn't their actual reasoning behind taking the class. "Uh huh." She finished her food and patted them both on the shoulder. "Whatever you need to tell yourselves." She chuckled and went on her way, Emmet trailing behind her and sniffing at some of the students as he passed.

When she made it to class she chose a spot up front. Since she'd only managed to make it into a few classes and this was one of them she might as well get a good view of whatever Professor Moody was planning on teaching them. Though she wasn't a fan of the unforgivable curses they were to be taught and she would learn though she could never see herself actually using any of those foul curses. There was a reason they were unforgivable.

The rest of the students slowly filed in as time ticked on and while Lyla retrieved a quill, ink, and parchment from her bag she heard excited whispers. Apparently Fred and George weren't the only ones looking forward to seeing what the unforgivable curses had to offer. How so many students could be so eager to learn these things was beyond Lyla but she could definitely see Gregory Polliver, if they were teaching the same at Salem's, being excited as well and she was suddenly very glad to be at Hogwarts. She could only imagine how he'd find immense pleasure in torturing her with the Cruciatus Curse if he had the chance.

Professor Moody was an odd man to say the least and he was all too happy to show them exactly what the three unforgivable curses were all about and he chose a poor spider as his guinea pig and though Lyla wasn't overly fond of the creatures she couldn't help but feel sympathy for it as Moody used it to show them the Cruciatus curse and she had to look away while a few students gasped in amazement and then there was a flash of green light as he muttered the killing curse and put the spider out of its misery.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch anymore and when she did it was as if she were sucked into another world. All around her were blurry figures and flashes of light. She didn't know where she was or who was with her but when she looked down she saw her wand fly from her hand and away from her leaving her defenseless. Then there was a voice in her head but she couldn't make out what was being said and suddenly she looked to her right where she felt she needed to be and then there was a bright flash of green blinding her.

Lyla forced her eyes open and in her hand she gripped her quill tightly and on the parchment where she'd been taking notes was something else scribbled furiously. "_Death awaits_." And then it looked like she held the quill down too hard and ripped the parchment.

Lyla quickly stood and backed away from the ominous words only to fall over her chair catching a lot of attention including Moody's. "Give you a fright, miss?" He asked and she quickly got to her feet as he approached her desk. Her eyes flicked to the parchment and he followed her gaze. She snatched it up and stuffed it into her bag quickly and even Emmet was giving her a curious look as if he didn't know what to make of her sudden strange actions.

"You alright, Lyla?" Fred had stood from his chair, his brother right behind him, and they looked concerned and Lyla didn't know what to say. That she'd had a vision and that someone was going to die? Yeah, that wouldn't cause a panic or anything.

She scooped up her bag and shook her head. "I need to go to the infirmary." Was all she could spit out before she quickly headed for the door, Emmet chirping after her as she sped away from the classroom. Her first day of classes and she was already having ominous visions of death? This was not the way she wanted to start off the school year.

Instead of the infirmary Lyla headed straight for Dumbledore's office. There was no way he wouldn't want to hear of this and there was no way she could go a single moment without telling him so she hurried along the hallways and by the time she stood in his office she was winded, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

Dumbledore was seated at his desk and when she entered he looked up, surprised to see her. "Ms. Shanks, as much of a pleasure it is to see you, shouldn't you be in class?" He asked and rose from his seat. Lyla nodded. "I was and then Professor Moody used the killing curse and I didn't want to watch so I closed my eyes and I had a vision and then I snapped out of it and.." She was explaining very fast as she dug into her bag for the parchment and thrust it out at him as he came around the desk.

"Take a deep breath." He said, his tone calm as he took the parchment from her and told her to take a seat. She did as she was told though when she sat her leg bounced up and down with her anxiety. The man looked at the words scribbled and his brow furrowed. "This is very serious." He said and she nodded. Of course it was serious!

He placed the parchment on his desk and stared down at her. "What did you see?" He asked and she tried to remember everything that she could. "Not much. There were people everywhere and there were curses and hexes and jinxes being shot off in all directions. My wand was…I was disarmed and then somewhere next to me.." She closed her eyes and pictured what she'd seen. "There was a voice. I couldn't hear what it was saying. It was muffled and then..There was a flash of green light..The killing curse. It was so bright…. Then I snapped out of it." She rested her forehead in her palm and stared at the floor trying to piece it all together but there was nothing she could figure out from the fuzzy images and muffled sounds.

Dumbledore, though concerned with her vision didn't have much to say on the matter and told her to head to her next class and try not to worry about it since there was nothing that could be done about it at the moment. Though she was hoping for maybe a bit more than being told to return to class Lyla did as she was told and headed for the Divination classroom to wait for the class inside to be dismissed. She could have waited somewhere else, anywhere else but she figured she might as well get to class as early as possible.

It didn't take long and as soon as the other students filed out Lyla slipped in and took a seat wondering if the Professor would even remember her. Lyla recalled being in her class for a while before she even noticed her the year before but after that she'd been the woman's main focal point in most of her classes constantly bugging her if she saw something. It had been quite annoying after a time. Fortunately Professor Trelawney didn't even seem to notice her at all. Even after students began to come in the woman didn't even glance her way and Lyla felt a flood of relief especially after what she'd seen in her last class. She really didn't want the woman up her butt about her visions.

When class began Lyla noticed that Fred and George must have opted to drop the class because they'd never been overly fond of it. They weren't the only ones though and the amount of students was extremely low compared to the year before. Class went on with Trelawney explaining what they would be learning this year and Lyla tried to pay attention but this class was a bit boring to her and the only reason she stayed in was because her parents wished it. Even though she'd done horrible on her exams for this class Trelawney had let her come back because of her sight on Dumbledore's command and Lyla really wished she hadn't. She'd never had anything close to a vision in this class nor had she seen anything within the crystal balls. It was quite sad.

After the class during her break Lyla decided to get some fresh air and spend some time outside where she spotted the twins and she quickly made to turn around and head in the other direction to avoid any questioning about her awkwardness in class earlier but Emmet gave her away bounding over to them and Lyla froze already knowing there would be no use in trying to avoid them now.

"There you are!" They said and Fred scooped Emmet up as they jogged over to her. "Were you waiting for me?" She asked innocently as if she hadn't been trying to avoid them and they nodded. "Saw that Divination was your second class and waited around for you to come out since we had a free period." George said and scratched the top of Emmet's head.

"Seriously…You guys are creepy." She said and the two disregarded her comment as she took a seat in the grass to relax and they joined her. "So what was up with the way you acted in Moody's class? Did you really get scared?" Fred asked and she shook her head. "Nope."

"Did you have a vision?" George sounded anxious. They'd both been waiting for her to have a vision since the night they'd bugged her about it. "Yeah but before you go asking questions I have no idea what it was about." She said. "Just bits and pieces of images and sounds. It made no sense." She said and the two shook their heads. "That's what you thought about your visions last year until the night Harry saved Sirius Black." Fred said and she shrugged. "Yeah so until I have another 'tell all' vision I'm left in the dark again." She said.

They headed to lunch after that and the two seemed to have forgotten about all talk of visions and instead began plotting how to get their names into the Tournament when the time came. Fred was stuck on the aging potion while George tried to come up with other options and Lyla was grateful their attentions were elsewhere so she could eat in peace before heading off to potions which the twins happened to have as well and she swore under her breath. Couldn't she have more time to herself?

The two took seats next to her planning to copy her work and Lyla allowed it to an extent since they'd helped her out so much last year what with teaching her spells and finding her a tutor. If it weren't for them potions would probably be the only class she'd be taking this year with Divination which would be nice to get lots of practice done but would also be dreadfully boring.

Professor Snape did not seem happy to see her during class and she assumed he just didn't like know-it-alls but this was the only subject in which she could actually call herself a know-it-all. Of course she would always strive to know more but since the man refused to give her extra homework that was more challenging then he had no reason to be upset that she was more advanced than the other students. If he wanted her to struggle he would give her what she wanted but that just wasn't going to happen so she ignored the sneer he threw her way and simply did her work.

Dinner that night was full of chatter about the Triwizard Tournament. It was all anyone was talking about but Lyla didn't have much interest in it. It was an interesting concept to bring different schools together but Lyla wasn't interested in fame, glory, or money so the tournament itself wasn't very appealing. She would watch the entertainment with the rest of the school but as far as aspirations to be a part of it she had none.

Her meal was interrupted by a very nasally, confident voice that was going on about something concerning the World Cup and the Ministry and their shortcomings. She glanced over to see the Malfoy boy harassing Ron by reading an article from a newspaper and Lyla remembered Mrs. Weasley commenting on a woman named Rita Skeeter who was notorious for exaggerating stories and bashing people to her readers.

Malfoy then went on to insult Ron's mother and the boy was held back by his friends and Harry shot a comment back at him and just as Lyla was ready to ignore the whole argument there was a loud bang and Moody came hobbling into the great hall and where Malfoy had just been standing there was now a snow white ferret that Lyla thought might be Emmet for a second until her own ferret hopped down onto the floor and sniffed at the new creature and pounced on him playfully which apparently frightened the living daylights out of the little thing and it darted off but was stopped by Moody who pointed his wand and made the ferret bounce into the air as the man yelled about people attacking their opponents with their backs turned. Lyla quickly scooped up Emmet so he wouldn't be confused with the other and held him tightly as the bundle of curiosity tried to get loose to go investigate.

It wasn't long before Professor McGonagall put a stop to the show and Malfoy was returned to his snotty human self and the woman shrieked at Moody about how they did not use such punishments on students. Lyla was a bit shocked that he'd done such a thing and it only furthered her concern about the strange man who didn't look remorseful a bit in regards to his actions. She was a bit torn between being shocked and glad that the man had done what he did. Mrs. Weasley was a wonderful woman and Malfoy had no business talking ill of her.

Moody dragged Malfoy off to talk with Snape and Fred, George, and a boy named Lee that Lyla had seen the two hanging out with quite a bit took seats at the table and began gushing about Moody. How he was so awesome and how he really knew what it was like fighting the dark arts. Lyla was reminded of that morning and suddenly her appetite was gone and she left the Dining hall and headed for the Gryffindor common room to start on the homework Professor Snape had assigned. So far he was the only teacher to have assigned homework and Lyla was grateful for it. Compared to last year's first night this was a blessing.

As she worked the common room filled and emptied in time and the twins and Lee took seats around her as she was finishing up. Lee didn't look too interested in her as he talked with Fred and George who were obviously wanting to pester her about something or other.

When she finished her work and put her homework in her bag it got their attention and George quickly asked if she was ready for some practice. "Uhhh…" She looked between the two and their friend who gave them a curious look. "Practice?" He asked and they were all too willing to tell him about her crappy skills with a wand. "Oh that's her?" Lee asked and the twins nodded. "Yup we've been teaching her since last year." George informed him. "She's our ace for getting into the tournament." Fred informed their friend and Lyla rolled her eyes. They sure did like to brag didn't they?

Since she didn't have any other homework Lyla decided a bit of practice couldn't hurt and she and George left Lee and Fred, who decided to stay behind with the other boy, to sneak outside to their practice spot with George whispering about the tournament the whole way trying to guess at what the tasks would be going so far as to say maybe the champions would have to wrestle a Minotaur.

Tonight he simply had her review what he and Fred had taught her the year before and Lyla was a bit rusty, some of her spells falling flat no matter how many times she tried. "Come on, Lyla. You'd improved so much!" George was getting a bit flustered with her as she failed at disarming him for the hundredth time. "I know!" She hissed back at him getting frustrated as well. It wasn't as if she wasn't trying. "Cut me some slack. It's out first night back at it." She said and the boy rolled his eyes and eventually he made her stop. "You're distracted." He said, lowering her wand arm and picking up Emmet who'd been running around excitedly while she practiced.

"No I'm not." She snapped but he arched an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Who are you trying to kid? Yourself? Because it's certainly not me." He said and ruffled her hair. "What's on your mind, hedgehog?" He asked and Lyla gaped at him. There was no way she was going to let him start calling her that too. "Don't even. Connor is the only one allowed to call me that." She grumbled bitterly and it was only to prove a point to him.

George shook his head. "Of course he is. Because he's soooooo special." He sounded a bit bitter and Lyla tilted her head curiously at his sudden change in mood. "He is my best friend." She said and George took a seat in the grass. "And what are Fred and I? Fillers?" He asked and she sighed. "No. You're my friends too." She said and joined him thankful that she didn't have to practice anymore. She was getting tired of making a fool out of herself. Hopefully the next time would be better.

He shot her a look that almost looked like resentment but he dropped the matter with a muttered "whatever." And stared up at the dark clouds rolling by. "So what's on your mind and if you say Connor I swear I'm going to petrify you." He said and Lyla shook her head not sure what his sudden fascination with Connor was. "No. It's just…" She sighed thinking back on that morning and the vision she'd had. Most of the shock had faded throughout the day but she was still left with that sinking feeling like something was going to happen and she couldn't help but dwell on it.

"That vision I had today.." She admitted not really sure if she wanted to divulge everything to George but the look he was giving her made her want to tell him. It wasn't as if Dumbledore had given her much in the way of advice but then again he was probably too busy with the tournament to really give much attention to an incomplete vision that didn't even reveal anything aside from the morbid warning.

George pulled Emmet into his lap and began to play with him. "You said it wasn't much of anything. Why would you be so worried about it?" He asked and Lyla picked a blade of grass and toyed with it needing something to do with her hands. "I didn't tell you guys everything." She admitted and he spared her a glance and she knew he wanted her to go on.

"I think someone used the killing curse in my vision and when I came out of it I'd written something." She was hesitant to admit what until he prodded her for more information. "What did you write?" He asked and she took a deep breath as Emmet started to gnaw on one of George's fingers. "Death awaits." She said and then tossed the blade of grass onto the ground. "Why couldn't it say 'Tacos await'? I would much rather have a vision about tacos.." She said and George chuckled.

"Death awaits, huh?" He mulled it over and Emmet rolled onto his back and began squirming in the boy's lap and George leaned forward, his hair becoming curtains hiding his face as he blew a puff of air into Emmet's face who freaked out and ran around him. George laughed and caught the ferret again to repeat the process and Lyla wondered why he didn't seem too concerned about the vision and the shocking words. Just a few days ago he and Fred were bugging the hell out of her talking about how people could be in danger. What changed?

Lyla was then reminded why she liked the twins so much. They rarely let anything be too serious and wouldn't let anything get to them much. "Thank you." She said suddenly and he gave her a double take. "What?" She shook her head. "You know…For being…Cool." She shrugged trying to play it off and he shook his head. "You're weird." He said and she nodded. "Coming from the co-king of weird I'll take that as a compliment." She said and got to her feet deciding it was time to call it a night and hit the hay.

"It's still early. You should practice a bit more." George said as he followed her and she shook her head. Early? It was nearly midnight! "Nah. I've got to write to…" She cut herself off and didn't say Connor's name already knowing if she did he would get huffy.

It was way too late for that though. "Conny?" He finished her sentence for her in a girly mocking tone and she sighed with a shake of her head. "I really don't get why you don't like him." She said and he caught up to walk next to her. "It's not that I don't like him. He seems like a nice enough person. It's just that you really like him and I've heard so much about him recently that it's just gotten a bit annoying." He said and Lyla couldn't help but laugh. "I don't even talk about him much!" She said knowing she didn't bring him often enough for it to be so bothersome. "You talk about him enough." He said.

"Well excuse me for talking about my best friend." She said and he stepped in front of her just before they could enter the castle. "You keep calling him that but how many times has he helped you with your spells?" He asked and Lyla gaped up at him. Was he really doing this right now? "A little back in the day." She said remembering the few times he had tried she'd nearly caught him on fire trying the Incendio spell for the first time.

"And does he even know you're a seer?" George asked. Lyla darted around him and lowered her voice. "No." She answered and George hurried to catch back up as she quickly sped down the corridors to Gryffindor tower, peeking around corners as she went. "Then how can he be your best friend?" George asked and she rounded on him as they entered the common room. "Because he's always been there for me." She said with an amused smile. He crossed his arms over his chest not nearly as amused as she was but not exactly serious either. Then he said something that Lyla couldn't believe. "Then where was he when your head was being shaved?" He asked and Lyla's jaw dropped. Did he really just say that? No, he couldn't have.

"I'm going to pretend you never said that." She said and nodded to confirm. "No. Really. Where was he? Sick that day?" George was poking the bear and the bear wanted to tear his head off. "He wasn't around." She said, raising her voice a bit hoping he would get the point that this wasn't her favorite topic. George wasn't ready to back off just yet though. "Huh that's odd because if he's your best friend you'd think he'd be around somewhere. Me and Fred are around you all the time and we're 'just friends'." He tapped his chin curiously and Lyla stepped in close to him and dropped the volume of her voice drastically. "George..As my friend I am asking you to drop it." She said really not trying to be hostile but if he kept up with this she couldn't imagine the cruel things she might say to him that would probably ruin their friendship. She'd already almost lost the twins as friends before and once was enough.

He stepped close too, his hair falling forward as he stared down at her having taken her plea as a challenge. "No no. I would like to know how he is allowed to call you hedgehog and remind you constantly about having your head shaved, wasn't even around for it to try to stop it, and doesn't even know you're a seer yet still gets the title of 'best friend'." He said and Lyla could feel tears begin to sting in her eyes. "All this fuss over a title? Really?" She asked, unable to believe it. "What the hell is so important about being my friend and being my best friend? Why do you care?" She asked really not able to understand how this made any sense to him.

"Because, Lyla! I don't want to be 'just a friend'!" He exclaimed and Lyla took a step back. "Shhh! Do you want to wake everyone up?" She said and then rethought his statement. "And you might want to rephrase that." She said and he shook his head and then he seemed to realize what she was implying and she could have sworn his face turned a bit pink but she guessed it was because he was flustered and she stared at it having never seen a reaction like that in either of the twins. It was kind of fascinating and she couldn't help the giggle that suddenly slipped passed her lips. "You know what I meant!" He hissed at her and she liked that she'd gotten such a reaction out of him and it lightened her mood. "No I don't. Please explain." She grinned and she could tell he was getting more and more flustered by the second.

George stared at his feet. "This is not how I wanted this to come about." He muttered and Lyla arched an eyebrow. "What?" She asked. Had he really been thinking about the whole 'best friend' thing for so long? She couldn't imagine that. In fact that was the last thing she could see him being worried about. It was so silly. He stepped in close to her again and she hoped he wasn't going to start raising his voice once more. The last thing she wanted right now was to have the entire tower wake up and someone rat on them to a teacher for being out of bed so late. "The heck with it…Might as well.." He muttered and he took her face in his hands and Lyla registered what was about to happen just in time to shove him away and take a few steps back, her face on fire.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Woah, guy! Whoa!" She tried to keep her voice down but shock was doing very little to help that. "Whoa…" She stared at him, opened her mouth to speak, and then just stared at him again unable to grasp for any words for a moment and all that came out were bits of phrases. "Bu-…What…You…huh?" She scratched her head as Emmet scurried between them and looked back and forth, curiously. "So that's a no then?" George asked and he looked somewhat ashamed but also a bit proud for some reason. "What?" Lyla couldn't wrap her head around what just happened and the words coming out of George's mouth. That mouth that could have been on her mouth and-

"Whoaaaaaaa!" She shook her head furiously trying to knock the image out of her head. "Yup. That would be a no." George muttered and she rubbed her temples. "I don't…What?" She had no idea that's what he'd meant. She'd been so sure that he was really insulted by the 'best friend' thing. Thinking about it now she felt really really stupid.

"Just so we're clear.." George interrupted her thought process. "Is that a no?" He asked and she stared at him, mouth agape for a moment as she tried to process the information but it was a bit difficult. "I…" She tried to think of when this had come about or when this had become an issue. She'd thought they were just friends and that's all they would be or all they cared to be but apparently she'd been wrong. Dead wrong. "I..I need bed. I mean..Sleep. I sleep in a bed…" She backed away as she babbled and he watched her go, a smile slowly breaking out on his face at her weird show of confusion.

She nearly fell when she backed into the first step that led up to the girl's dormitories and George laughed. "You need some help there?" He asked and Lyla's face couldn't possibly have gotten any hotter. "Nope. Nope I'm good. Just a little…." She shook her head. "Nope." She quickly turned and scrambled up the stairs and she could hear him chuckle from the common room. There was no way she was going to be able to write a letter to Connor now. Her brain was far too busy still trying to process what had just taken place.

She waited for Emmet at the top of the stairs before darting into her room and quietly getting ready for bed so as not to wake any of the other girls. She then curled up in her bed, her face still burning when she replayed the events of the night trying to figure out how the hell things had escalated to..That.

It was going to be nearly impossible for her to fall asleep.

...

**I told you things were starting to heat up! And so early on too! I wonder how this will effect the rest of the school year...It might surprise you hahahaha! I've got some biiiiiiig plans ;P Anyways I wonder how Lyla's going to handle this new turn of events! Better read on to find out! **

** By the way the next chapter might be a little late because tomorrow I'm headed to Disney. It's going to be my first time so I'm an uber excited grown woman who's probably going to act like a ten year old all day tomorrow. :) Whooo!**

** See ya next time and thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter six: All work and no play

**Wicked! chapter six:** All work and no play makes Lyla a dull girl.

**Summary**: Welcome to chapter six! I know it's been a few days since I updated but I warned you it would take a little while for me to post the next chapter. In this chapter we've got some awkwardness and some awesome news that Lyla's been dying to hear. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to Harry potter nor the characters nor am I affiliated with the original author of the series yada yada.

...

Awkward couldn't even begin to describe how Lyla felt heading down to breakfast the next morning.

When she'd woken up she hadn't really given the night before much thought. Then, when she'd begun to wash her face she'd recalled the few minutes before she went to bed and was immediately red in the face. She tried not to think about it and got ready for the day trying to focus on the fact that she had transfiguration for her first class that morning. With any luck the twins wouldn't have it or have it at a different time. With any luck at all she'd be able to go the whole day dodging them until all of the weirdness blew over.

She went down to breakfast trying to find things to distract her the whole way and she even went out of her way to find a seat away from the twins so she could ate and she fixed her plate and began to chow down as fast as she could so she could exit the area with haste. Somehow she pulled it off and made it all the way to transfiguration without being bothered which she considered a great accomplishment. Though she did have problems concentrating during class as Professor McGonagall began talking about non-verbal spells but it wasn't until Lyla forced herself to shove thoughts of George out of her mind that she was able to fully pay attention. The last thing she needed right now was to be distracted by thoughts of…That.

After class she immediately headed for the library and she spotted the twins talking with their friend, Lee and Angelina Johnson in the corridor and when the two waved she gave a short one back and hurried on her way. Professor McGonagall had assigned a bit of homework that she was intent on doing before her next class. It would keep her mind off of the awkwardness that was already starting to fade thanks to George's nonchalant behavior. It was as if nothing had happened so as long as he kept that up she would forget about it in no time.

As she worked Emmet looked bored and wandered around the library and even after she'd finished she had a bit of time to spare so she began jotting down a few spells to practice the next time she got a chance. She didn't know just yet if she'd be practicing later that night but if things felt normal again and the twins were up to it she'd be happy for the practice since her failure from the night before only made her want to work harder this time. She had to catch up with her spells. She was a sixth year for magic's sake.

On the way to Defense against the Dark Arts Lyla felt a bit apprehensive about the class since her first time hadn't exactly gone so well but she was determined to push her worries aside and get through the class. She didn't want to drop the class. She didn't want to drop any classes for that matter.

She made it through class with no problems aside from a heap of homework on the unforgiveable curses and she dreaded doing it all but she didn't want to fall behind in her work so she ate a quick lunch and headed back to the library since she had a free period to get a jump on the work load and making her very glad she'd already finished her transfiguration homework.

As she worked Lyla tried to figure out which one of the unforgiveable curses she found most disgusting. It was a tie between the Imperius curse and the Cruciatus curse. Of course the killing curse was awful but it was quick. The other two were means of torture and made Lyla's skin crawl when she recalled the events at the World Cup. How could someone do that to another person? How awful did someone have to be to feel no remorse for it?

She'd almost finished her homework when she had to head to Divination for her last class of the day and wasn't all that surprised when she found that a lot of students had dropped the class since the day before. There were only a handful of students left and Lyla dreaded the lack of students possibly making her more noticeable.

Lyla kept her head down trying to remain invisible as Trelawney had them map out constellations which Lyla felt stupid doing since it was a lesson for younger students but she did it all the same happy for the busywork instead of having to stare into a crystal ball for an hour.

After classes were finally over for her Lyla headed to dinner having forgotten about the strange incident from the night before until she saw George's face and then she was reminded all over again but she sat next to the twins for dinner anyways trying to act like she hadn't been bothered about it all damn day.

"About time we saw you for more than a minute today." Fred said as she sat down and she began to fix her plate. "Yeah I've been busy. Lots of homework." She said with a complacent shrug. "Oh, I thought you were planning on ditching us again this year like you did last year." George joked and she couldn't even bring herself to make eye contact with him. "Nah. You two keep me sane." She said with a small smile and began to eat.

"Sane?" Fred asked as Harry, Ron, and Hermione took seats opposite them. Hermione was already talking about how she had to go to the library and Lyla asked her why. The girl looked surprised that someone actually wanted to know and she was more than happy to tell Lyla of the amount of homework she'd been assigned and Lyla laughed. "I know how you feel. It's only the second day of classes and I'm already on the verge of falling behind. I still have to finish transfiguration homework and I've got a bit from Divination too." She said and Hermione scoffed at the last one. "Professor Trelawney is the biggest fraud, I swear." She huffed and Lyla chuckled. "I've heard she's a seer but she's really hit and miss." Lyla said and Hermione nodded. "You should be teaching that class." She said and Lyla shook her head. "Never. I am not a fan of that class. I only take it because my parents insist on it." She told her and Hermione sighed. "Too bad." She said. "I've got to head to the library after dinner as well. Would you like a study buddy? That library is a bit creepy after dark." Lyla offered and Hermione nodded. "Finally. Someone who actually goes to the library for reasons other than absolute necessity." She grinned and shot looks at Harry and Ron.

Fred and George frowned at her. "No practice tonight?" Fred asked and Lyla shrugged. "Depends. I can't put practice before my homework." She said. "But I don't think it will take too long. Maybe an hour at most." She said and she was relieved that there was no weirdness in the air. It was as if nothing had happened at all. "You two plan on hanging out in the common room tonight?" She asked them as she stuffed a roll in her mouth. The two nodded. "Yeah Lee's gonna help us with more order forms and brainstorm with us." George said and Lyla nodded. "Alright. If I don't get back too late practice sounds great if you're still up to it." She said.

After dinner she headed for the library with Hermione who asked her about her visions recently but Lyla shook her head and told her she really didn't want to talk about it at the moment. She already had too much on her plate to worry about her visions. "Catch me when I'm not drowning in homework and I'll be happy to tell you all about them." She chuckled as she held the door open for the girl and slipped inside with her. "Well none the less I think your visions should become clearer and easier to understand as you get older. That's how it is for some seers." Hermione said as they took a table and Lyla arched an eyebrow at her. "How do you know?" She asked and the girl shrugged. "I read up on the seers throughout history over the break to see if I could find any information that might be useful to you." She said and began taking things out of her bag just as Lyla did the same. "Oh yeah? Find anything?" She asked and Hermione shook her head. "Not really. Apparently the sight is different for most everyone. It hits them at different ages and the experiences are different." She sighed. "Awesome." Lyla grumbled as she propped open her book. "Thanks for doing research though. I appreciate it." She said and the two dove into their homework and Lyla took the opportunity to ask Hermione about a few things she'd had trouble understanding about some of her work and the girl was more than happy to share her knowledge.

After Lyla finished she asked Hermione if she wanted her to stick around as company but the girl refused and Lyla bid her goodnight and headed for the common room but on the way she was stopped by Professor Moody who was wandering the halls and he was heading the exact opposite direction as she was. At first she wasn't sure just what he'd stopped her for. She wasn't doing anything wrong…Yet.

"You're the girl who ran out of my class." He said, leaning on his strange walking stick and pointed a gnarled finger at her, his weird eye swiveling around in its socket while the other one was locked on her. She didn't want to be rude and tried not to stare at the strange eye but it was extremely distracting. "Yeah." She nodded. That wasn't exactly what she wanted any of her professors to remember her face for.

He barked a laugh. "I've never seen someone so skittish. Except for Longbottom maybe." He laughed and she quickly shook her head wanting to settle this now. "I wasn't scared." She said and he frowned. "Then what was it?" He asked and the way he was looking at her made Lyla uncomfortable and there was no way she was divulging her secret to this man. The Defense against the Dark Arts teachers at this school didn't seem to last long from the stories she'd heard and she wasn't going to give that kind of information out to someone just passing through.

"Just know it wasn't fear." She said and he chuckled. "If you say so, missy." He said and began hobbling away and Lyla kept her eyes on him until she could no longer see him before continuing on her way. The man gave her the creeps.

When she got to the common room the twins were doing exactly what they said they'd be doing and they were sitting with Lee talking excitedly and Lyla could only imagine what they were coming up with. The minds of those two combined were dangerous.

Lyla took a seat and waited. She wasn't going to interrupt them and be rude as all hell. No, she could wait and while she did she watched them toss ideas around and the passion they had for the subject at hand was impressive. She could feel excitement buzzing through the air.

Her eyes wandered to George and her face slowly heated up as she remembered he hadn't been standing too far from where he was sitting now when he'd taken her face in his hands. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair as Emmet curled up on Fred's lap and she placed her chin in her palm as she stared at George.

From the way he'd been acting all day she could have been fooled into thinking she'd dreamed it all up and with the random subjects of her dreams recently she really could have believed it if she let herself but no. It had happened. Why? She couldn't remember a single time he'd hinted that he felt anything more than friendship towards her. He always acted like normal George so when had it changed and why did it exist in the first place? There were probably plenty of other girls who wanted his attention and she wasn't really all that special if she subtracted the potions knowledge and her sight.

The more she thought the more questions she had. Did Fred know? They were about as close as two siblings could get so had they discussed it? If so why wouldn't Fred warn her? If they were all good friends like she believed them to be then wouldn't it only be wise to warn her to avoid any confusion so she could do her best not to lead him on? And then that thought made hr question if she had led him on at all. She thought back on any moment that involved her and George and she couldn't come up with any time her actions or words could have been misconstrued as flirting. Nope. Not a single time. At least not on purpose.

"What?" Lyla snapped out of her thoughts as George arched an eyebrow at her. "Huh? What?" She asked. "You're staring at me. Why?" He asked and Lyla's eyes went wide and then she squinted at him. "I'm not staring at you. I'm staring at…" She lifted her chin off of her palm and pointed at the chair behind him. "That thing." She said.

"The chair?" He asked and looked at it. "There's nothing special about that chair." He said and Fred glanced over and chuckled. "It doesn't have to be interesting for me to stare at it. I was just thinking and staring." She said and Emmet joined her in her seat realizing he was going to get no attention from Fred and began cleaning himself in her lap. "At me." George said and she shook her head. "At the chair." She corrected him and he rolled his eyes. "Right. The chair." He grumbled sarcastically.

They took their time finishing up and Lyla went out with them to the practice spot and Lyla began trying the spells she'd failed at the night before and she was thoroughly confused when she didn't mess up a single time. Her entire practice the night before had been failure from beginning to end but this night she was having absolutely no problems? How in the actual hell?

George picked up on it too. "Much better." He said as she prepared to disarm Fred. "Better?" Fred asked from a few feet away. "You act like this is new material." He said and George laughed. "You should have seen her struggle last night. She was awful." He said and Lyla scowled at him

"Well I'm glad that's not the case tonight. I don't want to be out here all night." Fred laughed and Lyla pointed her wand at him and George sighed. "No. Raise it up a bit more." He said and moved to lift her arm and she adjusted it before he could touch her. "Expelliarumus!" She flawlessly sent Fred's wand flying from his hand and she felt triumphant. "Awesome. Now maybe I can learn something new." She smiled at her accomplishment.

Fred fetched his wand and handed her a plain scrap of parchment he had stuffed in his pocket. "Try Reducio." He told her and she nodded. "Sounds simple enough." She said and pointed her wand at the parchment and tried it out and she did it on the first try. "Excellent." Fred said and she grinned. "Booyah!" She was definitely feeling a bit confident and tried not be negative and think that the next practice she might not have any luck at all.

George returned the parchment to its original size and told her to use the color changing charm which took a bit longer than Lyla would have liked. Then he had her rip it in half using Diffindo which made her excited when she did it within four tries. It was after she succeeded that Lyla decided to call it a night and Fred frowned at her. "Oh come on try another one." He encouraged her but Lyla shook her head. "I think I'll quit while I'm ahead." She chuckled and gave her wand a kiss.

"Do you think maybe you have so much trouble with your wand because it's not the wand for you?" George suddenly asked her and she tilted her head curiously. "I've never thought of that." She said remembering the day she'd purchased her wand. Her parents had picked it out for her saying it would be perfect. "Mr. Ollivander says the wand chooses the owner. Maybe you should ask someone at the wand shop in Hogsmeade next time you get the chance." Fred said and she nodded though it wouldn't be until a few months later that she would be able to do it. "Who knows." She shrugged and headed for the castle.

She thought on the way that maybe they were right. She hadn't put much thought into why her wand didn't really listen to her all that well and she'd assumed it was because she was just a crappy witch but maybe it wasn't her fault at all. Maybe she was just dealing with a wand that hadn't 'chosen' her.

They were on their way back to the common room when Lyla was suddenly blinded by a light right in front of her eyes. "What are you three doing out of bed?" Harped a sharp voice and Lyla instantly knew it had to be professor McGonagall and when the person lowered their wand she saw she was right and she looked beside her to see the twins fidgeting nervously as if they couldn't come up with a lie on the spot which would be a first. "We saw Lyla sleepwalking again and thought we should make sure she was okay and take her back to her room?" Fred tried and failed as McGonagall scoffed. "In her robes? I doubt Ms. Shanks sleeps in them." She snapped and she escorted them back to the common room and took points away from Gyffindor for each of them and Lyla felt guilty for taking away from the house because of her ineptitude. She was glad they didn't receive any further punishments though and were sent off to bed, the woman watching them as they headed up their respective stairways.

In the morning Lyla was still thinking about what the twins had said about her wand and the more she thought about it the more it made sense but since she couldn't do anything about it at the moment she tried not to worry about it until she needed to. She made her way to the Dining hall and on her way she spotted Professor Moody eyeing the students as they passed. He looked as if he were just waiting for trouble and as she passed his gaze followed her which gave her the willies and she hurried by him and into the Dining hall where she took a seat next to Ginny Weasley who was talking to Neville Longbottom.

As Lyla fixed her plate and began eating, having to bat Emmet's greedy paws away from her plate every few minutes, Ginny spared her a glance and then gave her a double take. "Good morning, Lyla." She greeted her and Lyla waited until she'd swallowed before returning the greeting. "Morning." She said with a smile. "How have you been?" She asked and Lyla shrugged. "Can't complain yet." She said and the girl then asked a very peculiar question. "You're seventeen right?" She asked and Lyla nodded. "Yeah. Why?" She asked and the girl gave her a huge smile. "Are you going to enter the Triwizard tournament?" She asked and Lyla laughed. "No way." She said and the girl looked a bit disappointed. "Why not? I know Fred and George want to enter and I figured since they can't enter they would get you to try." She said.

Lyla would never enter the tournament even if the twins asked her to try. It sounded dangerous and even though she wasn't the biggest coward she also tried not to put herself in overly dangerous situations. Anyone who did want to participate either was willing to do anything for fame and fortune or completely insane in her opinion. "Nope. I prefer the safety of watching." She grinned to the girl as her brothers took seats opposite them.

"Watching what?" George asked as he began to pile his plate with food. "The Triwizard Tournament." Ginny said. "I asked Lyla if she was going to enter but she said no. I think it would be cool to have a female be the Hogwarts champion." She said and Fred rolled his eyes. "Why so she could muck it up?" He joked and Lyla scowled at him even though he was probably right. What good would she be with a wand that didn't listen to her and abysmal spell work?

"I almost forgot you were seventeen, Lyla. Probably because you act like you're fourteen." George said and she had even more reason to glare at him that she did his brother. Was he possibly referring to the way she'd reacted when he'd tried to kiss her? "It is hard to believe that she's older than us sometimes." Fred added and she shoved eggs into her mouth to keep from saying anything. She didn't have to though because Ginny was more than happy to tell them "Well she's a sight more mature than you two." And she smirked at them.

"If you say so." George said with a grin and Lyla rose from her seat to head to class. "Where are you headed?" Fred asked as she swung her bag over her shoulder. "Charms." She said and he smiled. "Us too. Wait up and we can go together." He said and Lyla plopped back down into her seat. "Fine." She said and watched them wolf down their food.

After they finished they all headed for Charms and Lyla took a seat and the twins chose the ones next to her. "You've been acting kind of weird." Fred pointed out as they sat down and Lyla began taking her things out of her bag. "I have not." She lied. Of course she was acting weird. If he knew what had happened the night before last he'd understand but she was trying to be her normal self it was just difficult because she'd never had to deal with anything like this before. How was one supposed to act? "Whatever you say, Lyla." George snickered next to his brother as students began to take their seats around them and she leaned forward to glare at him. He knew exactly why she was acting wonky.

Class went on with Professor Flitwick talking about turning vinegar to wine but when they attempted it he was the only allowed to taste the finished product to see if had worked. Lyla's attempt didn't go so well and he got a big mouthful of red colored vinegar which he spat out immediately and she cringed. "Sorry." She grumbled but he waved off her apology. "No it's quite alright." He sputtered and quickly moved to Fred's cup which he took a swig of and made a face. "That, Mr. Weasley, is a potent drink." He said and Fred grinned from ear to ear.

He assigned homework and Lyla was bit glad for it because she could spend time in the library for break to get started on it which is exactly what she told the twins when they asked her where she was going as she headed for the library. "You're always doing homework." George said and it sounded like a complaint. "I don't have any wishes to fall behind." She said and hurried off leaving the twins to their own devices and Emmet in their care since he never was all too happy about being in the library.

She didn't feel much like doing her homework when she got to the library. In fact she just wanted to enjoy her break for once but she knew if she didn't get it done she would hate herself for it later when she had to spend her whole night working on it and after classes she really wouldn't want to do it so she forced herself to focus and got most of it finished before having to head to Defense against the Dark Arts which was already becoming her least favorite class making her the complete opposite from everyone else in the school. During lunch and dinner kids happily chatted about how cool Professor Moody was. She didn't get it. There was something about him that Lyla didn't like. Yes, he was creepy and unconventional but that wasn't it. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was either.

She took a seat closer to the back of the room and had purposely arrived a bit later than most of the students, taking her sweet time. During this class Moody was telling them about dementors, the same creatures that had 'guarded' the castle the year before. Lyla remember the story about them attacking Harry during a Quidditch match and she shuddered. She'd only seen dementors in illustrations in books and never wanted to meet one and never wanted to see in the flesh ever. If they even had flesh.

Lyla managed to make it through class without attracting any attention to herself though she spotted Professor Moody's weird eye land on her a few times and every time it happened she just lowered her head and tried to act like she didn't notice.

She ate a quick lunch after that because she was actually looking forward to double potions even though she felt like she was being forced to learn at a slower pace than the other students. At the rate she was learning under Snape she wouldn't learn anything new until next year, her final year. She wondered if she should just start learning more on her own. She'd been neglecting her potions studies to keep from falling behind in her other classes and to keep up with her spell practice. She missed the thrill of learning a new potion and figuring out how it worked and how to tweak the instructions for better results. It was addictive to her and she decided to borrow she would borrow a book from the library hoping she would be able to find something on advanced potions.

In class they were learning about Polyjuice potion which was a complicated brew for some but Lyla didn't find it to be much of a challenge and when Professor Snape was asking questions on some of the ingredients she actually raised her hand since no one else was but he completely ignored her. She'd already figured he didn't like her much but this was ridiculous. She eventually stopped trying and it was when she didn't raise her hand that he decided to pick on her on the most important ingredient for the Polyjuice potion to be complete. "Does our know-it-all know?" He asked and she quickly nodded her head. "You need the hair of the person you're trying to become." She said and he didn't look so agitated when she answered his question and she could have sworn one of the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly in the tiniest of smiles but it was gone in the next moment.

At the end of class she was packing up her things and was ready to leave when her name was called and Professor Snape motioned for her to come to the front of the room as the other students left. "I can't help but notice you look bored in my class." He drawled as he rearranged a few things on the desk beside him. "No, Sir." She lied knowing he was not a man to be trifled with and didn't want to give him any more reason not to like her. "Your classes are very informative-" She was cut off by a sharp look. "Don't lie." He snapped and she bit her tongue. "You have a talent for potions, I can admit." He said though he didn't look happy about it. "At first I thought you were simply another student with their nose stuck in books thinking they knew everything about the potions because they read about them." He said and wandered over to a cabinet. "But after watching you in my class I've seen this is not the case." He said and took a book from the cabinet, his fingers stroking the spine. "I spoke with Dumbledore and he thinks I should give you something a bit more…Advanced." He said and suddenly thrust the book towards her and she looked down at it and then up at him again. Was he serious? After a whole year he was deciding to give her what she'd asked for at the beginning of last year? Was there a catch?

"I expect to see you every Monday and Wednesday after dinner in this classroom starting next week for extra lessons." He said and Lyla had to stop her jaw from dropping. She was getting extra lessons? Really? She didn't even know how to react. Thrilled or worried. "Th-Thank you, Sir." She said quickly not wanting to be rude and he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she didn't hesitate to leave the classroom, hugging the book to her chest like a prize to be treasured and she couldn't stop smiling as she headed to dinner.

"What's with your face?" Fred asked as she sat down to fix her plate. "I just got the best news ever." She said feeling like her smile was going to be fixed on her face for the rest of the evening. "What's that?" George asked and she beamed at him, all thoughts of what took place the night before last forgotten. "Professor Snape is going to be giving me extra lessons starting next week." She said and that got Ron's attention across from her and down a few seats. "Extra lessons from Snape? That sounds like a punishment." He said and she chuckled. "You're lucky. Snape doesn't tend to act so nice to students. Especially Gryffindor students." Hermione said.

"When are you supposed to be taking these lessons?" George asked and Lyla nibbled on a potato. "Mondays and Wednesdays after dinner." She said and the two gave her identical surprised faces. "So I guess you won't be practicing with us on those nights." George said and she shrugged. "It might give you two time to do homework for once." She joked and they grinned. "Right. Homework." They shared a look. "So I guess we should practice as much as possible before we have to start working around Snape's schedule." Fred said and Lyla nodded. "Yeah I guess but not tonight. He gave me a book and I want to read it and I have a ton of homework to do. Besides we got caught last night so maybe we should give it some time." She said and Fred looked to his brother. "I think she's trying to leave us behind again, Georgie." He said and Lyla rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

Fred chuckled and George shook his head. "Nope. You're hanging out with us a little tonight before we don't see you for a month." He said and she sighed. "It's not going to be a month. Probably just a few days and you'll still see me." She said hating the guilt trip he was trying to pull.

"You act like she has nothing more important to do than hang around with you two." Hermione said. "She's got a promising future as a potions master and she needs to study." She said and Lyla thanked her for her input. "She gets it." Lyla said to the twins pointing to the girl. "We get it too." Red said with a frown. "But we're your friends and I remember how you got too busy to hang out with us last year and I really don't want to go through all that rubbish again." George had an adamant look about him and Lyla gave in. "Fine. We can hang out but only for a little while but I'll probably be doing homework while we do." She said and though the two didn't look happy about it they agreed.

Lyla found that it was impossible to get any homework done around the twins around fifteen minutes into trying and gave up which earned her a sympathetic look from Ginny who was playing with Emmet while her brothers talked some first years into buying Ton-Tongue Toffees. Angelina Johnson watched with amusement and as the younger students headed off with their purchases she chuckled. "You two are incorrigible." She said and the two grinned at her. "You mean genius." They boasted and Lyla put her books into her bag while the three hopped into a conversation about the World Cup. The events after the cup weren't brought up. Just the match and Lyla figured it was the perfect time to slip away upstairs and work since they were distracted and she did so, Emmet bounding up the stairs after her.

It took her nearly two hours to finished all of her homework and most of the girls had already gone to sleep by the time she was finished and having to use her wand for light though it didn't want to work some of the time which only made it take that much longer and she barely got any reading done before she gave up and went to sleep.

...

**Whooo! Extra lessons! Even more to add to the load yay! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will be posting the new one sometime tomorrow night so look forward to it because I'm gonna have some really awesome stuff in there :)**

** Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter seven: The talk

**Wicked!Chapter seven:**The talk.

**Summary**: Hey all! In this chapter Lyla asks Connor for advice and she gets enough courage to have a talk with George alone. Wonder how that's gonna go! Read on and find out! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

(Would ya look at that? An actual disclaimer. Whooooo!)

...

During breakfast an owl arrived for her, dropping a letter in front of her plate before flying off and she opened it as she nibbled on a biscuit. It was from Connor and she was happy that she could actually hear from someone outside of school other than her parents who would just ask her how her studies were going and send her money. They really must have thought that she needed money constantly because she'd already received some twice and it hadn't even been a week yet.

_Lyla, How is school so far? Probably way better than Salem's right? School has been pretty easy so far for me. Not too much homework yet anyways of course I'm sure that won't last._

_ I ran into Gregory the other day after school and he asked about you. Of course he had nothing nice to say but I'll spare you the details and just let you know that I gave him a piece of my mind. Even though you're gone he still has to be a little ass doesn't he? There are still rumors going around about why you're no longer a student here and they're getting even more ridiculous. Honestly it's a bit funny to hear what everyone thinks happened. I never knew you were so popular. _

_ My mother got fired by the way. I feel really bad about it because I kind of feel like it's my fault. She's always trying so hard to spend time with me when I'm not in school but that always makes her so tired for when she has to go to work and I guess it really affected her work. She's already looking for another job but for now we're probably going to be struggling for a little while. I'm sure we'll be fine though I just thought I'd let you know because I figured you would want to hear about what's been going on. _

_ I hope to hear from you soon._

_ -Connor. _

Lyla was in the middle of rereading the letter, her heart sinking at the news that Ms. Langsley got fired, when Fred and George plopped down next to her. "You ditched us last night." Fred said with an offended tone but Lyla was too distracted by the letter to give him much of an answer other than an 'Uh huh.'

"What have you got there?" George asked and snatched the letter from her and she blanched at him. "Hey!" She exclaimed and reached for it but Fred blocked her way, laughing. "It's revenge for reading my mail." George stuck his tongue out at her and read the letter. "Ugh. Of course it's from Connor." He said and then he frowned as he got to the last bit and he looked like he regretted his mocking. "Oh…" He said and handed the letter back to her which she ripped from his hand. "Did he profess his love to her?" Fred asked his brother who shook his head. "No." He shook his head. "Just some boring stuff." He said and fixed his plate but Lyla no longer had an appetite and she headed off for Divination.

She didn't really talk much to the twins for the rest of the day and simply went about her classes and was back and forth to the library to work on homework but she did spend some time with the two before going to bed but she was far too tired to practice. Instead she wrote back to Connor while Emmet kept the twins distracted.

_ I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. I hope she finds another job soon. Until then please accept the little bit of money I can offer to help out. I was planning on spending it on clothes since I'm growing out of the ones I have but you and your mom need it much more than I need clothing. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you what I could. _

_ Rumors are still going huh? I can't even imagine what's being said now. I think the funniest one so far was the one about me getting pregnant. That one is my favorite by far because it's just so stupid. Who would really believe that? And with Gregory of all people! That's a riot. _

_ School isn't so bad. The homework load here is insane though! We get assigned homework on the first day back to classes can you believe that? And not just a little bit either. I've had more homework these last few days than I had in two weeks at Salem's. It's crazy. I barely ever have time to do anything else. _

_ Also the potions teacher here is a real menacing man but he's agreed to give me extra lessons since I'm way farther ahead than any of the other students. I asked him last year when I started but he said no. Lucky for me he changed his mind so I'm pretty excited for that. Of course between that, trying to catch up on my spell casting and all the homework I'm probably going to be even busier than I usually am and that's saying something. I hope I don't get burnt out from the work load. _

_ On another topic, some weird stuff has been going on. You remember the twins? Well one of them might have tried to do something with my face and his face in the mouth area and I'm really not sure what to make of all of it. I've been acting like it never happened and so has he but I could use some advice. Should I talk to him about it or should I keep acting like everything is normal and it never happened? Also they think that my lack of skills with my spells might have something to do with my wand so I'm going to ask about it the next time I get the chance._

_ -Lyla._

In the envelope she included most of the money her parents had sent her knowing it probably wouldn't be much considering all of their expenses but she wanted to help in any small way she could. She took her letter up to find an owl. Howarts had plenty for the students who didn't have their own personal owls and she picked a large screech owl who didn't have the friendliest demeanor but he looked like he could get her letter to Connor fast.

After it flew off she stared out the window, her arms resting on the stone as she looked out at the view, the wind playing through her hair. She took a deep breath of fresh air and hoped Connor would accept the money she'd sent. He was somewhat stubborn when it came to stuff like that. He had never had a problem with spending on money on her if she didn't have any of her own but when it came to her returning the favor he wouldn't hear of it. Why were boys always so damn stubborn?

On her way back to Gryffindor tower she heard the unmistakable sound of Professor Moody's walking stick though it was light as if he was trying to be quiet and she quickly ducked into a dark corner, not wanting to be spotted by him and possibly have a conversation and watched as he made his way down the stairs glancing over his shoulder every now and again which made Lyla suspicious and she couldn't shake the urge to follow him but she wasn't the least bit fond of the idea of getting caught wandering the halls and risking losing points for the house or possible earning herself a detention so she quickly continued on her way when he was out of sight and she basically jogged all the way back to the common room, her chest heaving as she finally ascended the stairs and entered the common room which was void of people other than the twins and Hermione who was working on something and she could assume it was homework.

"Where did you run off to?" Fred asked as Emmet scurried over to her and up her robes. She held him to her chest as she crossed the room to ascend the stairs with a yawn. It was definitely time for bed. "Just had to send off a letter." She said and went up to her room, her bed screaming her name.

She didn't receive a reply to her letter until Sunday morning. Lyla had been spending a lot of time reading the book Professor Snape had given her and though she knew a few of the potions in that book there were far more that she didn't know which was thrilling to her because she really wanted to get started on trying some of them but she didn't dare try to get a head start plus she didn't have the supplies for a lot of them. It was better just to wait until her lessons.

The letter arrived while she was in the middle of eating and she put it in her robes to read in privacy not wanting one of the twins to read it like George did with the last one especially because she'd mentioned the incident between them in her reply to him. They noticed her actions and chuckled at her and asked her what she was planning on doing for the day. "I don't know yet." She shrugged. "Well then that means you're practicing with us today." Fred said and she smirked. "Is that so?" She asked and he nodded. "Yup. You've been slacking for a few days now with that book stuck under your nose. So you're going to practice whether you like it or not." He teased and she sighed. "Alright. Just let me write back to Connor and I'll meet up with you two in about an hour." She said wishing she could take the day to relax. The year before she hadn't taken any relax days and had regretted it. She did not want to make the same mistake twice but practice wasn't so bad.

"Alright. The common room in one hour." They said and she nodded before finishing her food and heading back up to her room to sit down on her bed and read Connor's reply.

_ I can't believe you sent me money! Lyla you already know how I feel about that stuff. If it wasn't for my mom I would have sent it right back to you with a howler. Please don't do that. Keep your money for yourself. You don't know when you might need it but my mom says thank you all the same. She said I was lucky to have a friend like you because friends like you don't show up in your life that often and to treasure them. She got so sappy. _

_ So homework on the first day huh? You're right that IS crazy. I'm glad I don't go there. It sounds like that school, even though it's amazing and awesome, is also really difficult. I hope you can keep up. Extra lessons too? I'm happy for you because I know you want to pursue potions as a career but I also think you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself. If you take on too much at once you might end up 'burnt out' like you said and I wouldn't want that to happen to you. Your tiny brain might explode, Hedgehog. _

_ So it took me reading that last part a few times before I realized that you were trying to tell me one of those guys tried to kiss you. You really need to be clearer on those things. At first I had no idea what you were talking about. 'Tried to do something with my face and his face in the mouth area'? Who says that? _

_ I had a feeling one of them would have some kind of feelings towards you when I met them and saw how they act around you. They were kind of protective of you and I thought they didn't like me because they didn't know me but now it makes more sense. I mean you're not an ugly girl. You're not profoundly beautiful but you're not bad. I can see why someone would like you. You're funny, a genius when it comes to certain things, and you're kind. You can be annoying sometimes and also a little dumb but who isn't? No one is perfect. Except me of course. _

_ I don't really know what advice I can give you on this because it's not like I have experience either but maybe you should talk to him about it. Acting like it didn't happen isn't going to make it disappear. It happened so you should at least have a conversation about it and if you like him in that sort of way then you can go from there but if you don't then it will give you the chance to let him down without being cruel. Being rejected is no fun and if you just keep pretending that nothing happened that's just going to make him feel like he wasn't even worth the effort to tell him no which could possibly ruin your friendship so I suggest talking to him. _

Lyla set the letter aside and thought about Connor's words and talking about it would probably be the best choice but Lyla wasn't sure how she felt about the whole thing. Embarrassed, obviously but other than that she had no clue. She liked George. They were friends but did she like him as more than a friend? She couldn't say so she began asking herself questions about the boy in her head so she could try to figure it out.

Did she find him physically attractive? Well, he wasn't bad looking. He had a great smile.

Did she like his personality? Of course. He was funny, witty, nice, and thoughtful. There were reasons why she was friends with him and his brother.

Did she like spending time with him? Yes, to an extent but she was that way with everyone. It was good to have friends but she couldn't put them before her schoolwork or her future career just to hang out but she tried to make time for everything even though it was getting increasingly more difficult.

Did she feel different around him than anyone else? Not until recently.

Did she look forward to seeing him? Yes.

Could she imagine herself being more than friends with him?

Lyla thought about this one for a while and closed her eyes trying to imagine it. Holding his hand or kissing him. When she tried to imagine the second one all she could see was his face getting close to hers and she felt her face get hot and she shook her head. "Nope. Nope. Nope. So much nope." She grumbled to herself and began to write out her response to Connor.

_I'm glad your mom took the money. You should just accept the help like I've accepted your help so many times without giving you a hard time about it. I just don't want you guys to struggle because I care about you and your mother. You're my best friend and your mother has always been so kind to me that I can't help but want to give you guys a hand and if you ever send me a howler because I send you money I swear I will get you back sooo hard, Conny. You have no idea. I may not pull pranks anymore but I will make an exception and it will be awful. _

_ Thanks for the concern about my 'tiny brain' , you jerk. If either of us has a tiny brain it's you, ya meathead. I'll try to keep up with it all without overdoing it. I just want to do my best and give nothing less than one hundred and ten percent. I'm really adamant about the potions thing so I'll see how it goes and feel it out. Baby steps right?_

_ You're far from perfect, Conny. You can be dense too you know? But thanks for the compliments. I needed them. I've kind of been feeling a little weird thanks to the incident a few nights ago because I was wondering why anyone would feel that way about me but you cleared that up so thanks. I think I'll take your advice and talk to him though I really don't know what I'm going to say because I don't know how I feel about George. Yeah I like him as a person that's why I'm friends with him but more than that? I have no clue. I think I'm weird. Isn't it obvious when you like someone? Like the whole 'stomach flutters' and whatnot? Because I don't have any of that. Or I didn't until that night. Weird. I'll let you know how the talk goes if I can get him alone for a few minutes. _

She stuck the letter in an envelope and left her room, jogging down the stairs and out of the common room to go send her letter off. The screech owl was there again and she chose him figuring that not many students used him that often because of the way he nipped at her fingers when she got close but he flew off with her letter anyways.

When she got back to the common room Fred and George were nowhere to be found so she sat down with the book Snape had given her and read bit while she waited. It didn't take long before the twins entered the room chuckling to themselves. Fred plucked the book from her hands. "Come on." He said and she took the book back from him and ran up to her room to put it on her bed before following them outside.

It was a nice day and the sun was really bright and there was nice cool breeze. Lyla was grateful for the weather and was more than happy to appreciate it while it was still pleasant. Fall would be rolling around soon enough followed by winter and she would be counting the days until spring anxiously.

"So what should we have her try today?" Fred asked his brother as Emmet bounded around in the grass enjoying the weather and Lyla wished she could do the same. "What do you think, Lyla?" George asked but Lyla wasn't paying much attention. She suddenly had a longing to go for a walk around the grounds and soak up the sun. "Lyla!" The two barked at her and she turned her gaze to them. "Sorry. What?" She asked and they shook their heads at her. "Pay attention." Fred said and they continued to their practice spot.

Lyla found she was a tad distracted while they tried to teach her but it took her a while to focus on anything and after a while the two decided it was just best to sit down and enjoy the weather. Lyla was grateful for it. She hadn't had a chance to just enjoy being back at Hogwarts with her friends yet and she lay out in the grass trying to figure out when would be a good time to try to talk to George alone without making Fred too curious as to what she wanted to talk to him about. The last thing she would need would be Fred eavesdropping or interrupting. She would already be embarrassed enough at the topic.

They talked for a bit before Lyla began staring up at the big, puffy clouds and started pointing out different shapes she would see and the twins joined her in the childish activity, laughing and pointing out ridiculous things they would see.

When they headed to the dining hall to grab some lunch Lyla sat down next to Ginny and asked her how her classes were going. The girl went into great detail about how she couldn't wait until she was a sixth year so she could drop some classes. She said she hated not having any time to do anything but homework and the girl was even doing homework at the table which made Lyla glad she wasn't having to do the same. "I could give you some help." Lyla offered but the girl shook her head and refused saying she was almost finished.

"You offer her help but you never offer to help us with our homework." Fred sounded offended and Lyla chuckled. "That's because I like Ginny." She joked and ate while the twins talked with Harry and Ron who were sitting a few seats down.

By the time night fell Lyla was glad she'd taken the day to be lazy and simply enjoy the company of friends and after dinner she found the perfect opportunity to talk to George while Fred was busy talking with Lee about something that they must have found extremely funny so she took the chance to slip a note into George's hand that asked him to meet her in the Owlery. She had written a letter to her parents telling them the news of Connor's mother being fired and what she'd done and she had to send that off anyways and not many students went up there that often at night.

She left before he read the note and hurried up to the large room that always smelled of owl droppings and the amount of windows didn't help a bit. She found her usual screech owl wasn't back yet and chose a tawny that had crazy eyes. This one was pretty indifferent as she attached her letter to his leg and flew off after hopping around on the window for a minute.

She watched him fly off wondering what it would be like to fly. She'd been on a broomstick once or twice but since she was scared of heights she hadn't taken a fancy to it. Of course the freedom was amazing the fact that she could fall didn't appeal to her.

Lyla hopped up into the window and sat there refusing to look down at the ground outside and instead letting her eyes wander around the room at the hundreds and hundreds of owls thinking of how bored some of them had to be with nothing to do but hunt and wait around for their owners to give them something to deliver. She stared for a little while at a particularly pretty owl that was white with amber eyes that was perching comfortably between two barn owls until the door opened and George slipped in looking around rather confused. "Why would you have me meet you here?" He asked trying to step around the bird poop and the many owl pellets scattered on the ground. "I had to send a letter off anyways and figured why not kill two birds with one stone?" She shrugged, smiling at her own silly joke.

"Wow. I bet you were waiting to use that." He said and she moved aside so he could sit with her because there wasn't nearly as much poop on the window as there was on the floor. "For someone who's scared of heights you sure are putting yourself in a strange position." He said and looked over his shoulder at the night sky. "That's why I'm not looking that way." Lyla chuckled.

George turned back around and Lyla tried to figure out how to start this conversation. "I figured I should talk to you alone," She said and George nodded. "Yeah I had a feeling this was coming." He said and she arched an eyebrow. "You did?" She asked and he nodded. "Yeah after the way you reacted and then the way you've been acting since that night I figured this talk was going to happen." He was smiling but it wasn't the genuine smile he usually wore and Lyla wondered if he was assuming the worst.

"Well I didn't really know how to deal with it at first…Actually I still don't." She chuckled nervously. "But I asked Connor for some advice and he said-" George cut her off. "Of course you asked Connor." He sighed and Lyla got a bit offended. "Of course I did. I needed advice and I couldn't very well ask anyone around here because I don't know them well enough to tell them that kind of stuff because it wouldn't be right in my book for people to find out and start spreading rumors." She said and he chuckled. "Good point." He said. "Continue."

Lyla sighed and began messing with the hem of her sleeve to keep her hands busy. "Well he said I should talk to you because if I continued acting like it didn't happen then you would feel like you weren't even worth the effort of me rejecting you." She said and his head slowly turned so he could look at her. "So that is a no then?" he asked and Lyla shook her head. "No but it's not a yes either. It's an I don't know." She gave a nervous laugh and stopped playing with her sleeve and looked at him. "George, I don't think you realize that I've never had someone look at me like that or try anything like that so I don't know what to think of it." She admitted and he nodded. "I understand and I probably shouldn't have gone about it the way I did. I was just a bit…I don't know. Frustrated." He said and Lyla arched an eyebrow. "Frustrated?" She asked and he nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know when I started to think about you as more than a friend but I know it happened over break. I think it was after you wrote to us telling us that your parents were hinting at something more than friendship and I started to think about it more and more and then I saw you when I got out of the car and it just happened. You weren't just Lyla to me anymore." He shrugged and Lyla could tell this wasn't all that easy for him either. His face was turning a very light pink from what she could see in the moonlight. He continued before she could say anything. "And then we were at the World Cup match and I saw Connor and the way he hugged you and how familiar he was with you and afterwards when we were in the woods I was holding your hand and I was thinking that I wanted to keep you safe and then we got separated from Fred and Ginny and protecting you was all I could think about. Then when we got back to school you started talking about Connor a lot and I thought that maybe you and him might become more than friends. That's how it happens with childhood friends, right? They grow up and realize that they have feelings for each other? I kind of just let my emotions get the best of me." He shook his head, ceasing his babbling and Lyla couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her.

"I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell you that I don't think of Connor like that and he doesn't feel like that towards me. Really, we're like siblings if anything." She said. George turned, leaning his back against the stone and looked out over the grounds. "Well it didn't seem that way to me and Fred was pretty convinced too." He muttered and Lyla tried to remember a single time she'd seen him so serious. It actually kind of bothered her to see him like this when usually he was smiling or laughing but right now he looked really deep in thought. "Well you two were wrong." She said hoping this would be the last time she would hear about it.

George turned his gaze to her and Lyla wished she could see through his eyes for a moment to know just what he was seeing. "So where does this leave us?" He asked and Lyla lifted a shoulder in a half-assed shrug. "I don't know. I still want to be your friend. I like you. You and your brother mean a lot to me and you two know how to make me smile and forget about the stresses of life and I really don't want this to change things." She found the words came easier than she thought they would. She didn't even know who she was as a person fully. "We're still growing and learning and I would like to continue doing so with you and Fred. There's no need to rush." She smiled and set a hand on his knee. "We have our whole lives to figure out what we want and need from those around us." She said and dropped her hand into her lap.

"Those are probably the wisest and most polite words of rejection I will ever hear." George laughed and Lyla rolled her eyes. "I was being serious, you jerk." She laughed with him and extended her hand. "Still friends?" She asked and he grinned. "Of course." He said and shook her hand and she hopped down from the window. "Good. Now that we've gotten that out of the way maybe I can go to bed so I won't be exhausted for my first lesson with Snape tomorrow night." She said and she watched him jump down as well. "Lyla?" She tilted her head as she held the door open for him. "Yeah?"

He stopped in front of her, a silly grin on his face. "I know you're not sure and I don't know how this is gonna go but can I try something?" He asked and her eyebrows furrowed together. "What?" She asked but she had an idea of where he was going with this. "Umm.." His grin got bigger and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, gimme a break." She chuckled and he shook his head. "Just close your eyes. It will only take a second and you've already rejected me so what harm can it do?" He was trying hard not to laugh and Lyla gave it a moment of thought. "You know what? Fine." She shook her head not believing she was going along with it.

She closed her eyes and she twitched a bit when she felt his hands on her face, gently tilting her face up as her cheeks burned and she felt awkward just standing there waiting and when she felt his hair brush against her she took a deep breath.

It was soft, the kiss, and quick. In fact it was barely a kiss at all but when she opened her eyes George was grinning from ear to ear. He rested his forehead on hers and chuckled quietly. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked and she couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up out of her throat and she patted him on the head and ruffled his hair suddenly not feeling so awkward. "It wasn't horrible." She admitted and he began to laugh pretty hard. "Good. 'Not horrible' is exactly what I was going for." He said and they both began to laugh hysterically as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

They headed back to the common room joking around the whole way but trying to remain quiet about it since it was a bit late for students to be wandering the castle. When they got back Fred was sitting next to the fireplace with Emmet playing with his paws and he looked up when they came in. "I was wondering where you two got off to." He said and Emmet abandoned him to run around Lyla's feet until she picked him up and kissed his nose. The ferret sniffed at her mouth and then crawled onto her shoulder and began sniffing around her until hopping onto George and doing the same and then making a noise at him which Fred watched with an arched eyebrow.

"He went with me to send a letter off to my parents." Lyla said and took Emmet off of George to hug him to her chest lovingly. "You should have told me. I could have used a bit of adventure." Fred said and Lyla chuckled. "You looked busy." She shrugged and yawned loudly. "Goodnight." She waved to them and headed up to her room where she got ready for bed and took her crystal ball off of her bedside table and peered into it, George's face grinning back at her.

"What a weird night…" She muttered before setting the crystal ball back in its stand and curling up with Emmet, petting him absently as she fell asleep.

….

**Whaaaaaattttt? Heck yeah they did! Writing that whole scene made me laugh so many times that it was hard to actually type it all out hahahaha. I hope you liked it. In the next chapter Lyla has her first lesson with Snape and Lyla also develops a crush on someone? Who? Whaaaaattt? No way! Yup! So look forward to that!**

** Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter eight: Just too much

**Wicked!Chapter eight:** Just too much.

**Summary**: Hey guys! Welcome to chapter eight! In this chapter we've got Lyla's first 'lesson' with professor Snape, (If you want to call it that haha) the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrive, and Lyla develops a crush? By the way I know I didn't do a very good job on writing out the parts of the Durmstrang student's dialogue but hopefully it's not completely awful haha. Read on and enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Lyla was so excited to start her extra lessons that she could barely focus in her other classes and after dinner when the time came for her first lesson she ate as quickly as she could and hurried off to the potions classroom before the twins could even say hello to her.

When she got to the classroom Professor Snape was standing next to a cauldron peering into it at the contents and when she closed the door behind her his gaze snapped up to her and he stirred the mixture. "You're early." He said as if it was a bad thing and Lyla tried not to show too much of her excitement as she nodded and approached the cauldron to see what it was he was brewing. "Can you guess what this is?" He asked and she stared at it for a moment before she happily shook her head. "No." She was more than happy to admit that she had no idea what it was he was brewing which was thrilling to her because for once there was something she didn't know about a potion.

"This," Professor Snape tilted his head and Lyla could swear she saw a hint of a smile again. "Is the antidote for Veritaserum." He informed her and she could no longer contain her glee and gave him an enormous smile. "I've only heard of it." She told him. "But there isn't much information that I could find." She said and he peered at her over the cauldron. "You're right. There isn't. There's a reason for that." He said and added a few pinches of something to the brew. "If there was anyone could carry it around and using Veritaserum would be useless." He drawled and she could feel excitement humming in her chest.

"For the next month this is what you are going to be learning and when you produce your antidote I will be using this on you." Professor Snape pulled a small vile out of his robes and presented it to her. "You're going to use Veritaserum on me?" She asked. "Yes, and if your antidote is not up to par I will make you reveal every one of your most humiliating failures to me in front of your peers." He said and Lyla gulped. Suddenly these extra classes were sounding a bit like punishment but it would only motivate her to do her best. "Yes, Sir." She accepted his challenge without batting an eye hoping it wouldn't come back to bite her in the butt later. It looked like she'd found the catch in the deal.

He gave her a list of ingredients to study and homework to go along with it and sent her on her way and though Lyla was a bit disappointed that there had been no actual lesson this time she was excited to get to work and she hurried off to the library.

For the next few weeks Lyla felt exhilarated. Her lessons with Snape were so informative and fascinating that every time she left one of them she shouldn't stop smiling. Of course it made practicing with Fred and George difficult and they would often get frustrated with her because she wouldn't constantly talk about what she was learning and that even though Snape wasn't the nicest man he was still a great teacher.

One night while returning from the library on her way to returning to the common room Lyla found herself unable to get around an enormous crowd of students and being as short as she was she couldn't even see what all the fuss was about. It had to be really good or else there wouldn't be so much attention so she asked one of the students, a rather tall girl with an excited expression. "What's going on?" She asked and the girl didn't even spare her a glance. "The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are going to be here on the 30th of October. It's a notice that says everyone should be outside at six o'clock to greet them." The girl told her and Lyla nodded. "Oh." She said and waited for crowd to disperse a bit before heading to the common room and the second she stepped foot inside Fred and George were right there. "Did you hear?" They asked and she nodded. "Yeah I just did." She said as students pushed by her and she moved off to a corner to get away from all of the chatter.

"What do you think they'll be like?" Fred asked and Lyla laughed. "How should I know?" She said with a shake of her head. "I assume they'll be just like us but with accents." She said, amused by the excitement of the twins. "I hear Beauxbatons is an all girl school." He waggled his eyebrows and Lyla rolled her eyes. "Of course that's what you're interested in." She sighed and Emmet tugged on a piece of her hair and she scratched him beneath the chin. "Yeah yeah. I'm heading off to bed." She told the two who gaped at her. "Aren't you the least bit excited?" Fred asked and she chuckled. "Of course I am but I'm not going to lose sleep over it now am I?" She waved and headed up to her room.

The next week the castle was abuzz with talk of the arrival of the other students and the staff was working around the clock to make the castle look even more glamorous than it already was and Lyla had to dodge brooms and mops constantly as she flitted around the castle for classes and as the day came closer Lyla began having the strangest dreams. The Dark Mark was still present in every single one, making her wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, and recently she'd begun seeing more. They weren't clear by any means but the feelings they left her with definitely were. Something was going to happen and it wasn't going to be good but because she couldn't really make anything out she didn't take her visions to Dumbledore who was far too busy with preparations for the tournament to need her going on in his ear about feelings with nothing to back it up.

She tried to forget all about them but when she awoke on the morning of the thirtieth she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was missing something. Something important. At breakfast she sat alone focusing on her food to keep her mind from wandering to her eerie dreams. Around her students talked excitedly and she noticed Fred and George being very secretive and when Ron asked them about what they were talking about they didn't look too happy to be interrupted.

She was distracted by the morning mail and, to her surprise, she had a letter dropped into her lap and she felt safe opening it wondering if it was from Connor but instead it was from her parents and they'd given her more money again and in the letter they'd told her that they'd heard about the Triwizard tournament and that she'd better not enter or they would be extremely angry. She sighed and stuffed the letter in her bag. She hadn't planned on entering and she didn't know what could have led them to think she would anyways. They knew how spineless she could be sometimes.

All day it was almost impossible for her to concentrate in class because the students around her would constantly be talking about the arrival of the guests later that evening and by the time classes ended early Lyla felt like she hadn't accomplished anything. She just felt glad that she hadn't been assigned any homework thanks to all this and she could have her weekend to herself if she was lucky.

She headed up to Gryffindor tower and put her bag on her bed and even Emmet looked excited as she adjusted her cloak and headed for the Entrance hall to join the other students. She looked around as the houses formed lines and she was yanked into the Gryffindor line by George and sandwiched between the two taller boys as Professor McGonagall snapped at students trying to make them all look presentable. "And Ms. Shanks. Your ferret." She said and Emmet quickly dove into her neckline with only his nose sticking out as if he'd known. She gave Lyla a look but let it be and continued down the line before they were all lead down the steps and outside.

"Look at the first years." Fred chuckled against her ear and she twitched and rubbed at it before turning her gaze to the front were she saw most of the youngsters bouncing on the balls of their feet, wringing their hands, and they all peered around with wide eyes as if they were afraid they would miss something. "That one looks like she's about to pee herself." George pointed to a mousy looking girl with platinum blonde hair and Lyla smacked his hand. "Hush." She snapped.

It felt like they waited forever before Dumbledore announced that the students from Beauxbatons were arriving and everyone immediately began looking around trying to spot any sign of them until someone standing a few feet behind Lyla pointed over the forest. "There!" He shouted and students began trying to guess what it was. The mousy girl seemed to have lost her mind and screamed how it was a dragon and Lyla chuckled as the shape came closer and was revealed to be an enormous carriage being pulled along by the largest horses Lyla had ever laid eyes on and she gaped, mouth wide open as it landed and the doors opened.

A huge woman got out of the carriage and Lyla wondered who was larger, her or Hagrid, because she couldn't tell for a moment. Of course she was pretty in a unique way but insanely intimidating in size. She greeted Dumbledore as the students clapped and behind her emerged about a dozen students who were staring at the castle as if they were not impressed.

The crowd parted for the students to follow the large woman into the castle where it was much warmer than it was outside. Lyla had backed up slightly to steal some of George's warmth though he didn't seem to notice because his eyes were glued to the students filing into the castle until Lyla 'accidently' stepped on his foot and he yelled. "Hey! Watch it." He hissed and she stifled a giggle with her hand. "Oops. Clumsy me."

Around them students began to wonder how Durmstrang would be arriving considering how impressive the entrance of the previous students had been until Lyla heard a faint rumbling that began to get louder and louder until Lee Jordan screamed something about the lake and pointed excitedly just as, in the middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared and something was emerging from it. Someone shouted something about a mast and Lyla suddenly realized she was staring at a ship emerging from beneath the water which was absolutely amazing.

She stared in awe at the ship as the anchor hit the water and people began coming to shore. They were all wearing heavy fur coats and as they approached Lyla's eyebrows raised. The man leading the students gave off the same vibe that professor Snape did. One of strict authority and he had a stern face. While the man greeted Dumbledore Fred pointed to one of the students. "It's Krum! Victor krum. I bet Ron is pitching a fit." He snickered but Lyla was too busy staring at a particular student who wouldn't have stood out if it weren't for his eyes. She couldn't make out what color they were but they were dark and they had a sunken appearance and his nose was sharp and long which would have looked odd on anyone else but on him it seemed to fit. She had no idea what was so fascinating about him but her eyes remained glued to him as he and the rest of them were led inside and Fred flicked her on the ear which nearly made her spaz out. "Come on." He tugged on the sleeve of her robe as they were filed inside and took seats at their respective tables within the Great hall.

The students of Beauxbatons had taken seats with the Ravenclaws and eventually the Durmstrang students sat at the Slytherin and people began whispering to each other about the new arrivals. "So what do you think?" George asked while, a few seats down, Ron was scowling at the Slytherin table. "I think things are going to be getting really interesting around here." Lyla said as she watched the Beauxbatons students stand when their Headmistress did and did not take their seats until after the enormous woman had.

Dumbledore proceeded to welcome their new guests and that the tournament would be officially opened at the end of the feast. Lyla went about eating as she always did trying not to let the distraction of the new arrivals get to her. There would be plenty of time to get to know them so she didn't understand why everyone was in such a rush. Shortly after that Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch appeared arrived and took seats with the teachers and even more chatter erupted and Lyla was getting a bit frustrated with how loud it was in the Great hall.

After the food was cleared away Dumbledore rose from his seat to address everyone again. He introduced Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch and then had Mr. Filtch bring in a large chest with jewels all over it and went on about the tournament before revealing that champions would chosen using the Goblet of Fire which turned out to be a wooden cup with blue flames flicking over the top and he explained how the students were to enter their names.

After the speech Fred was ecstatic talking about how an age line could be fooled with an aging potion and that once someone's name is in there was nothing that could be done about it. He then asked Harry if he would be putting his name in while they all headed out of the Great hall towards Gryiffindor tower. Lyla was more distracted by the Durmstrang students that were headed out as well and she caught sight of the boy she'd been staring at earlier. Without the heavy furs the students wore deep red robes and the color brought more to the boy's face and accentuated his dark eyes. He was looking around as they headed for the door and when his gaze skimmed over Lyla and he noticed she was staring she immediately pushed passed the other students and headed away from the Great hall as she heard their headmaster say Harry's name but she didn't stick around long enough to see what would happen.

In the common room Lyla was ready to head up the stairs to her room when she was stopped. "Lyla! Hey!" Fred and George jogged over to catch her, grins on their faces. "We need you." Fred said and she sighed. "For what?" She asked and George was all too happy to answer. "You remember that aging potion we were talking about? Well we'd really appreciate it if you made it for us." He said and she groaned. "Oh, come on. I want to go to bed." She grumbled and Emmet squirmed out of her robes and headed up the stairs. Lyla longed to follow him, the excitement of the day wearing her out.

"You owe us." Fred pointed out and she sighed. "Yeah yeah. I know." She said and George raised his eyebrows. "So will you do it?" He asked and extended a bag which she assumed was full of the supplies she'd be needing and Lyla rolled her eyes. "Yeah but it won't be finished until morning." She snatched the bag from George and trudged up the stairs to her room where she began working on the potion. Of course she had to hide the cauldron under the bed when the other girls came in and had to wait until they stopped chattering about the new arrivals and one of them even mentioned that they smelled something funny but Lyla pretended to be asleep until she was sure the rest of them were lost in dreamland. It looked like she wouldn't be getting any sleep.

The next morning she handed the potion over to the twins and Lee Jordan who looked wide awake even though it was extremely early for anyone to be up on the weekend. Lyla, however was dead on her feet and George raised his eyebrows at her rumpled, undead appearance. "You look awful." He said and she couldn't even manage to glare at him. "I hate you. This probably won't even work." She muttered and then headed down to breakfast and while she sat down to eat she watched as the twins approached the goblet and each took the required amount of the potion and then put their names in and if she hadn't been so sure it wouldn't work Lyla would have been surprised when the two were thrown out of the aging circle sprouting identical grey beards that matched their now white hair.

Students all around howled with laughter and even Dumbledore was laughing as he entered the Great hall and advised the two to go to see Madame Pomfrey to get it fixed as she was already having to do the same for other students who'd tried the same thing. The twins shot Lyla glares as they headed off but she ignored them as she heard cheering and Angelina Johnson announced she'd put her name into the Goblet of Fire. After her all of the students from Beauxbatons took turns entering their names and Lyla humored the thought of putting her own name in but then realized just what she'd been thinking of doing and left the rest of her breakfast untouched and went to the library.

While at the library she worked on the extra homework Professor Snape had assigned. Soon her antidote for Veritaserum would be finished and she was hoping her product would work because she really didn't like the idea of having to blab all of her embarrassing secrets to her entire class.

If she hadn't been so focused on her work she would have noticed Emmet wander off but by the time she did notice he was gone the ferret was nowhere to be seen but Lyla figured he would be back when he got tired of exploring and she went back to work. She had her book that Snape had given her and was comparing the information within with another book she'd found and noticed different heating instructions and she tried to remember what temperature she'd set he potion to simmer at because even the slightest bit off and she could be telling her deepest darkest secrets in week or so.

"Iz dis yours?" Lyla jumped slightly, snapped out of her thoughts, and raised her eyes from the book to be greeted with Emmet's furry face, his nose twitching. She sat up and saw the boy she'd been staring at since his arrival and she quickly grabbed the ferret from him. "Oh. Yes. I'm sorry if he was bothering you." She said quickly and wondered why this boy was in the library, of all places. Wouldn't he be with the rest of the students? "Not boz-ering me. He liked my coat." The boy spoke pretty decent English except his accent was extremely thick. He plucked at some of the fur on his cloak where it looked like something had ripped out a bit of it and Lyla tapped Emmet on the nose. "Em!" She scolded him and the ferret didn't seem to take her seriously and rolled over on his back playfully.

"I'm sorry." She said again feeling her face heating up in embarrassment. So much for representing Hogwarts in a responsible fashion. "No need." He shook his head and Lyla noticed her was no longer wearing the fur cap he and the others had been wearing upon their arrival and his dark hair was buzzed short. "I saw you last night." He said and pointed at her hair. "I recognize the hair." He said and Lyla's eyes went wide realizing he meant he caught her staring. She'd hoped he just thought it was out of curiosity. "Everyone else vas looking at Krum but you ver looking at me." He said and tilted his head, a curious expression on his face and Lyla tried to think of something to say. Anything to say other than 'because you're hot.' Because he was extremely attractive and even though he had an accent it was kind of appealing in a weird way and it was in that moment that Lyla realized she'd developed a crush. 'Oh…No..'

"I was just curious about the students from Durmstrang." She said quickly. "Why aren't you with the others by the way?" She asked trying to change the subject because it was causing her to slowly become flustered.

The boy gave her a smile that made her chest flutter. 'Oh nooooo…Stop that.' She thought. He motioned around him at the library. "I like to read and I vanted to see vat 'ogwarts had in library but vhile I vas looking at books your ferret found me. I thought he vas lost. Turn out he is just troublemaker." He let out a deep chuckle and Lyla sucked in a breath wishing he would just stop being so attractive. It needed to stop. Now. She couldn't handle it.

"You like to read?" He asked her and pointed to her book. Lyla looked down at the book. "This is homework." She said and he nodded and leaned over the table and took a peek at the cover of the book. "Potions. I am no good vith dis." He frowned. "You are?" He asked and she nodded, feeling modest suddenly. "Umm..Kind of." She stared at her lap as he looked at the page she was studying. "Dis potion you study iz not easy. You must be very good." His smile was way too charming for Lyla to handle and she stared down at her lap.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet already?" She asked him to change the subject once again since he seemed to want to talk to her for reasons she could not understand. He nodded. "Dis morning." He said and took a seat opposite her at the table. "You did?" He asked and she shook her head. "You are not old enough?" he asked and she shook her head again. "I am. I just don't want to." She said simply. He looked a bit confused. "Vy not?" He asked and she was really starting to wonder why he was so interested in her. Was it just because she'd stared at him and he found it strange so he wanted to try to understand her better? She couldn't tell.

Lyla played with the page of her book. "I probably wouldn't survive." She chuckled nervously. "I wouldn't win." She said with a half shrug knowing without a doubt that this was the truth. Some would say she needed to have more confidence in herself but she was just being realistic. He stared at her, his brows furrowed. "I do not think dis iz true." He shook his head. "What?" She was shocked at his words.

"I look at you and I see strength." He was giving her that smile again and Lyla felt her face turning hot again. "Uh..Thanks." She didn't know to respond to the random compliment. No one had ever said anything like that to her before.

"You are velcome." He said and got to his feet. "I think I should go. Karkaroff vill have noticed me missing by now." He said. "I vill see you at feast tonight." He gave another killer smile and left the library and Lyla slouched in her chair and rested her head on the table completely at a loss for what to make of things. It wasn't until after he left that Lyla realized she hadn't even gotten his name nor had she introduced herself. 'Smooth, Lyla..'

There was no way she could continue studying after that and continued to feel that way until she entered the Great hall to see it decked out with grand Halloween decorations and Lyla smiled. Last year she hadn't attended the Halloween feast but she was glad she was now getting to see it. Of course she was sure they'd spruced it up even more thanks to their new guests but it was impressive none the less.

She took a seat at the Gryffindor table next to the twins who greeted her and she pretended to be shocked. "Oh my. I didn't recognize you. You two look really young for your age." She teased and the two chuckled obviously having gotten over their failure.

Having two feasts back to back was a bit extreme in Lyla's opinion but she ate happily with everyone else though the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Everyone wanted to know who'd been chosen as the champions and Lyla would be lying if she said she wasn't curious who would be representing each school.

As she ate she let her gaze roam around the room trying to spot the boy she'd had her eye on. She found him sitting amongst his fellow Durmstrang students talking with the others but as she stared at him she noticed his gaze would flicker her way and he would smile every time he caught her looking. Lyla forced herself not to look at him anymore because she really didn't want to make it so obvious.

After the feast was over, much to everyone's relief, Dumbledore rose from his seat and said it was almost time to find out who the champions would be but first he gave instructions for the students chosen to head to another room and then he put out nearly all the candles and she felt the twins stiffen next to her and they began whispering to one another as the Goblet of Fire shone brightly and the blue flames danced.

As she watched the flames flickered and turned a bright red and then from the fire burst a burnt piece of parchment which Dumbledore snatched out of the air and announced that the champion for Durmstrang would be Victor Krum and no one looked surprised.

The flames flickered again moments later and it was announced that the champion for Beauxbatons would be a girl name Fleur who was a very gorgeous girl that Lyla wondered briefly if she was a Veela because there was no way a normal human could be so beautiful.

Cedric Diggory's name came out of the Goblet next and so many cheers erupted from the HufflePuff table that Lyla had to cover her ears. The boy rose from his seat and proudly walked out of the room to join the other champions and Dumbledore turned to address the rest of the students again but as he spoke he was cut off by everyone emitting gasps. The goblet was flickering again and the flames turned red and another piece of parchment was spit out and Dumbledore caught, his eyebrows furrowing together as he read the name out loud. "Harry Potter."

Everyone began to chatter in that moment and every eye turned to the boy even Lyla's who couldn't believe it. How could he have possibly gotten his name into the Goblet of Fire? He was only fourteen. Dumbledore shouted the boy's name when the boy sat there, dumbfounded. He slowly rose from his seat and headed into the other room with the other champions.

The rest of the students were then dismissed and Lyla rose to head for Gryffindor tower wondering what would become of Harry. Would they really let him compete in this dangerous tournament? But he was so young. She sighed as she got to her feet and was heading out of the Great hall while George and Fred were talking somewhere behind her just as astonished as everyone else.

As she passed through the doors though Lyla was hit with a wave of lightheadedness and she stopped and steadied herself against the doorway. She could hear a few students get unhappy that she'd blocked their way as they went around her but she'd rather block someone's way than fall flat on her face in front of them. "Lyla, are you okay?" It sounded like Fred was yards away but when she turned her head he was right there next to her and she reached for his shoulder to keep herself steady but she missed, her depth perception going completely wonky as that familiar feeling right before a vision made her brain feel tingly. "Gonna fall." She quickly warned him as the room began to spin.

"Iz she okay?" Said a familiar voice as she felt her knees give out and the next thing she knew she was in a dark place. It was so dark that could barely see anything around her. She tried to look around but couldn't see much of anything and she stuck her hands out to feel her way around the area but it was so small and cramped and suddenly she tripped over something and fell to the ground hard and something grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm here!" The person exclaimed in a harsh, graveled voice. "Get me out!" The person shouted at her and she could have sworn they sounded like Professor Moody. She tried to get away from him but he wouldn't let her go and he began to shake her violently. "Let me out!" he shouted again and she screamed, jerking free of his grasp.

"Let go of me!" She shouted and her eyes snapped open just as she screamed into someone's face. Her eyes went wide when she realized it was the handsome Durmstrang student who was peering down at her looking extremely confused and she realized her head was in his lap and she was lying on the floor in the great hall, students crowded around along with a few staff members. Professor McGonagall ushered the onlookers away as she made her way through the crowd. "Get back! Give her some air!" She shouted at them. "Lyla!" The twin's faces showed concern and she sat up quickly, flushing red from head to toe, ashamed at what had just happened in front of so many students and _him _on top of that.

"Easy." Professor McGonagall set a hand on her shoulder. "Professor Moody." Lyla told the woman simply and she nodded and had one of the other teachers go and see if the man was okay. "Can you stand?" The Durmstrang boy asked and she nodded as the twins took both of her hands and helped her to her feet slowly. She thanked them and tried to stand on her own but her knees threatened to give out again the second they stepped away from her and if weren't for the boy behind her quickly throwing an arm around her waist to keep her from falling she would probably have a concussion.

"You should sit." The boy said as professor Flitwick returned to report that Moody was fine and Lyla put a hand to her head and closed her eyes. "I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air." She muttered as the Durmstrang boy took one of her arms and placed it around his shoulders and walked Lyla outside with Professor McGonagall and the twins along with Hermione, Emmet, and Ginny in tow, Professor McGonagall barking at students to get to their respective dormitories as she hurried along beside Lyla. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked as Lyla took a deep breath of the cool night air and the Durmstrang boy set her down on one of the steps. "Maybe you should see Madame Pompfrey." The older woman suggested but Lyla shook her head. "I just need to sit here for a little while and let my head clear." She reassured the woman who looked hesitant to allow it but she eventually nodded and she told them all to be back within the castle walls within a half hour.

Lyla rested her hands on her knees and forced herself to take deep, calming breaths and looked around at the faces staring at her all but the twins who kept looking at the Durmstrang boy curiously. "Um..Thanks." She said to him and the boy shook his head. "It iz no problem." He said and looked a bit awkward standing there sticking out like sore thumb among them. Lyla couldn't help but think that he probably stuck out no matter who he was with. "Are you really going to be okay?" Hermione asked and Lyla nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about me. Go on inside." She didn't need them worrying about her, it would only make her feel worse about the situation. Hermione nodded and she and Ginny went inside, tossing her looks over their shoulders until they disappeared within the castle.

"You guys can go too." She said to the remaining three boys but the twins gaped at her. "You're kidding right?" George asked with a shake of his head. "You have to be kidding." Fred said and they both sat down on the steps.

"I vill stay as vell. I am curious. Are you sick?" He asked and the twins exchanged looks and Lyla shook her head. "No. I'm not sick. I'm just.." She didn't know if it was a good idea to tell this guy what was going on because she didn't even know him so she told him what George had told Ginny when she'd first asked. "I'm different." She said simply and he nodded. "Dis I already know." He offered her a smile and her face flushed again. Yeah, he really needed to stop smiling because it did the worst things to her psyche which wasn't in the best shape at the moment. "I know there vas something special about you vhen I first lay eyes on you." He said and she watched both Fred and George's jaws drop at the boy's words. Lyla had to stop herself from doing the same. "You sure have a way with words you know that?" She said feeling extremely embarrassed already and he was making it worse by the second. "I am honest." He said with a shrug and George cleared his throat and she felt him scoot closer to her. "Of course Lyla's special. You'd have to be blind not to see that." He said and Lyla glanced his way trying not to chuckle and placed her elbow on her knee and covered her mouth with her hand as she rested her chin in her palm to hide her smile.

The boy smiled at George and nodded. "Very true." He nodded and Lyla looked over her shoulder as the Durmstrang headmaster came outside looking extremely unhappy, his students in tow. He gave Lyla a crude look as he passed her and headed down the steps. "Come, Ivan." He said and the boy nodded and gave Lyla and the twins a wave. "I vill see you soon." He said and followed the rest back to their ship.

Lyla shivered, the chilly air biting at her as Emmet made his way onto her shoulder and nuzzled her face making a soft sound. She petted him absently as she watched the boy go. She was distracted by the twins clearing their throats and when she looked over they were both watching her with arched brows. "Is that how it is then?" Fred asked and Lyla shook her head. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about." She said and she slowly got to her feet, feeling better and the two did the same thought they kept their eyes on her as if they feared she would drop at any moment. She did feel a bit weak in the knees but she couldn't tell if it was from the Durmstrang boy, Ivan, or her vision.

Needless to say she knew exactly who would be showing their face in her crystal ball when she took a peek at it before bed.

…..

**Whaaaaattt? Man, this is getting weird. I wonder what George is going to have to say about this whole 'crush' business. I'm sure we'll find out exactly how he and Fred feel about it in the next chapter buwaahaha. I have awesome plans for stuff and things. **

** Thanks for reading everyone! **


	9. Chapter nine: Short-lived

**Wicked!Chapter nine:** Short-lived.

**Summary**: Welcome to chapter nine! So in this chapter Lyla feels some stuff, gets her wand checked out, and realizes that her crush isn't going to last very long. Read on and enjoy :)

**Disclaimer**:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

...

Trying to sleep was really difficult for Lyla that night. Between her vision, that hadn't felt like a visions at all but something more, and the burning embarrassment, and knowing she would have to be up for classes in the morning had her tossing and turning unable to find a comfortable position in which to fall asleep.

She groaned quietly, growing frustrated. She was tired but her brain wasn't. It was wide awake and running a million miles a second when all Lyla wanted to do was sleep but if she had been asleep she probably wouldn't have heard the sudden tap on the bedroom window which made her jump and her eyes darted over to it expecting to actually see something but there was nothing there so she told herself to just chill out and not freak out. She was too jumpy but she wasn't the only one who heard it because Emmet hopped to his feet, crawled over the table beside her bed and jumped onto the windowsill and then pressed his nose against the glass.

The sound came again and one of the girl's stirred, rolling over in her sleep and Lyla got out of bed to see what was going on but just as she reached the window something very small hit it and she jumped before opening the window a crack and, with a deep breath, she looked around down below. The height made her stomach drop and she gulped as she tried to just focus on what the hell was going on but as far as she could see there was nothing down there. She turned to go back to bed but before she could close the window she saw something move around on the ground below and she squinted just as someone came out of the shadows and illuminated themselves with their wand. They waved and Lyla rubbed her eyes thinking she was seeing things but no, it was Ivan and he was signaling for her to come down.

She waved him away. There was no way he was really doing this. They could get into trouble if either of them was caught. He shook his head at her shooing him away and continued to motion for her to come down and though she wanted to she shook her head again and closed the window and returned to bed thinking he would just give up and go back to the ship where he belonged but the second she pulled the blankets back over her another tap came from the window and the girl who stirred before did so again and Lyla got a bit flustered. If she woke up and realized what was going on the possible rumors that could fly made Lyla hop out of bed and open the window again to see Ivan still waving her down.

She held up a finger to tell him to wait and she closed the window, threw on some clothes, and hurried down the stairs into the common room which she made sure was empty before entering. Emmet, curious as to what she was up to followed quickly. She carefully opened the common room door so as not to wake the fat lady and peeked around. Once she saw that the coast was clear she slipped out and made her way down the steps in complete darkness and somehow made it to the bottom without falling and breaking her neck on the trick step which she'd learned to avoid after seeing first years stick a foot through it.

The castle was creepy as hell at night and it took all of Lyla's courage to make it down the halls, trying her hardest to be silent and to look out for any staff members that might be patrolling the halls at this time of night even though it was extremely late.

By the time she made it outside Lyla's nerves were so on edge that when Ivan popped out the shadows she nearly had a heart attack. She pushed him back into the shadows. "What are you doing?" She hissed at him. "I told you I vould see you soon." He chuckled and she shook her head, unable to believe this and then a thought occurred to her. "How did you know where my room was?" She suddenly asked and she could barely see him grin. "You are Gryffindor and there are only so many rooms for girl. Yours vas not the first I tried but I vaited until I saw it vas you to show myself. Girls get so mad ven you vake them up." He said and Lyla was stunned. Wasn't throwing stuff at a girl's window something Muggle boys did? She remembered reading so many Muggle romance novels for teenagers where the boy would do exactly that. What kind of boy was Ivan? Couldn't he have used a different way? He was a wizard for magic's sake. He couldn't have thought up a different approach?

"You're insane." She told him and he laughed quietly. "Maybe." He said and as the initial shock of the incident wore off Lyla began to realize that she was now alone with this attractive young man who'd tried so hard to get her attention. "Umm..Why are we out here by the way?" She asked, the implications suddenly dawning on her. "I vanted to see you and make sure you vere okay." The boy shrugged and she figured it wouldn't be the best idea for them to remain hanging around the castle entrance and she motioned for him to follow her to the place she usually reserved only for practice with the twins. "I'm fine." She told him. "I little sleep deprived but fine." She said after a few minutes of silent walking.

"Vhy did you faint today?" he asked her when they arrived at the secluded spot and Lyla watched as Emmet scurried off into the night. He had such an adventurous streak whenever he was outside. "That's complicated." She said. "And I really would appreciate it if you never did this again. I could get into a whole lot of trouble if I got caught." She told him. "You could get in trouble." She said. Of course having a very cute boy do something like this to get her attention was flattering she really didn't want the kind of consequences this sort of thing could cause.

"Yes." He nodded. "But I vas thinking it vould be hard to talk to you alone so I took risk." He said and Lyla was glad it was so dark because she could feel her face heating up. "Well…Don't do it again. If you want to catch me 'alone' you can do that in the library. I'm there a lot." She liked that this boy was interested in talking with her alone but this was just ridiculous. "I vill keep that in mind." He said and she nodded. "Good. Soo…" Lyla felt awkward. She had no idea what to say to this guy. "Great weather we're having." She felt stupid the second the words left her mouth. Shouldn't she be taking this opportunity to flirt with him? Which raised another question. How did one go about flirting? She didn't have hair to curl around her finger and if she attempted to bat her eyes at him she felt she would probably just look like she was having a stroke.

"I prefer cold. It iz varm here. I am not used to it." He shrugged and Lyla could have smacked herself. 'Weather? You're talking about the weather? Look at him!' She was screaming internally. "Really? I think it's kind of cold." She said wrapping her arms around herself as the chilly air caused her to shiver. "I should have brought coat." Ivan said and she shook her head. "No I'll be fine." She said and the reality of just how inept at flirting she was sunk in. This would be impossible. "Who vere the boys from earlier?" Ivan suddenly asked and Lyla's mind pulled up blanks until she realized he was talking about the twins. "Oh! Um, they're my friends, Fred and George." She quickly explained really hoping that he wouldn't assume anything about her relationship with them like George had with Connor. Ivan nodded. "Good. I did not vant to be rude." He said and Lyla tilted her head. "How would you be considered rude?" She asked and he smiled, his teeth glinting at her in the bit of moonlight that filtered through the clouds. "I do not think.." He took a moment and Lyla assumed he was searching for the right words. "Boyfriend vould be so happy that I have you outside late at night alone."

If Lyla's face was hot before it was nothing compared to what it was right now. "No. I don't have..One of those.." She stared at her feet. "Good. I vant to get to know you, strange girl." Ivan said and Lyla remembered she still hadn't properly introduced herself. "I'm Lyla." She blurted and shoved her hand towards him to shake. "I know." He said and took her hand. "Ivan." He said and she couldn't help but noticed how warm his hand was compared to hers. "I know." She said quietly and he raised her hand to press his lips to her knuckles which made all of the air whoosh out of her lungs and she suddenly laughed nervously. "Wow." She blurted and he chuckled at her reaction.

"Tomorrow I vill try to find you in library." He said and she nodded as he dropped her hand. "Now I must go before somvone notices me gone." He said and she nodded again, lost for words at the whole situation. This guy, who was way too attractive in her eyes, actually wanted to get to know her? Really? What kind of awesome luck was that? "Goodnight, strange girl." Ivan waved and she stared after him. "Goodnight." She exhaled and if it wasn't for Emmet crawling up her to perch on her shoulder she probably would have been staring for a lot longer even after she couldn't see him anymore. Emmet made a noise in her ear and she sighed. "Yeah yeah.." She grumbled and she headed back into the castle, sneaking through the halls once more but this time her head was stuck in the clouds and she was pretty sure if there were any teachers up and about she would have been caught. She even nearly forgot about the trick step on her way back to Gryffindor tower.

Somehow, sleep came easy after that.

The next morning Lyla headed down to breakfast with the biggest smile on her face. Her crush actually knew she existed! Not only that but he wanted to get to know her! She passed by the twins in the Great hall and ruffled their hair happily before taking a seat next to them and they both looked her way, eyebrows raised at her unusual morning glee. "Lyla? You feeling okay?" Fred placed a hand on her forehead as she fixed a plate and she beamed at him. "Okay? I'm more than okay. I'm great!" She said and she began to eat, humming quietly to herself. "Seriously. What's with the mood?" George asked and she took a huge bite out of a biscuit. "What? I can't be happy?" She asked and the two gave each other looks before shaking their heads. "I have never seen you like this. Ever. Especially not in the morning." Fred said and George made a sound of approval as he nodded.

Lyla shrugged. "I don't see the big deal. I'm just in a really good mood." She said and George peered around his brother at her. "Why?" He asked and Lyla wolfed down a few sausages with some eggs. "Isn't it obvious?" Ginny, who was sitting across the table was grinning at Lyla knowingly. "No. It's really not." Fred shook his head. "Not in the least." George agreed and their sister rolled her eyes. "She's been bitten by the love bug." Ginny giggled and Lyla's eyes went wide.

"What?!" The twin's heads snapped to look at her and Lyla cleared her throat. "I have not." She said trying to remain calm. It was just a damn crush! Not a big deal. Definitely not love. She didn't even know Ivan well enough to even think of 'love'. 'Ew. Commitment.'

"Who is he?" Fred asked, his food completely forgotten. "No one." Lyla insisted and shot Ginny a glare. Why did she have to go and say that? The girl giggled at her reaction and left the table. "Come on. We deserve to know. We're your friends." George insisted and she ignored the fact that he was staring daggers at her. "Really it's nothing." She said and the two rolled their eyes. "Either you tell us or we'll find out on our own." Fred shrugged and Lyla shook her head. "Seriously. It's probably nothing. Just two people getting to know each other. Not even close to being a big deal so just drop it." She said and Fred gaped at her. "Getting to know each other? So that means it's one of the new guys." He said and George pointed at her accusingly. "That Durmstrang guy!" He exclaimed and her face went hot all over. "I was wondering why he was so concerned when you fainted." He grumbled.

"Lyla, those guys are nothing but trouble." Fred insisted and she shot him a look. "How do you know? You don't even know him." She said finding all of this to be ridiculous. "We don't have to. He's from Durmstrang. Just look at their Headmaster." George snapped and she could understand why he was acting the way he was but Fred? He had absolutely no reason to be offended by this news. "That school is notorious for its encouragement of the Dark Arts. Not the defense but of the use of them." Fred explained and Lyla had heard enough. "So what? They do things differently. I don't see them cursing and hexing people left and right. I barely even know him. We just talked!" She exclaimed and then reminded herself to keep her voice down and she calmed herself. "Quit assuming things." She told them and George sighed with a shake of his head as she rose from the table headed for Defense against the Dark Arts which she would have with the two.

She barely talked to the twins for the rest of the day and she was too excited to head for the library after her extra classes with Snape to barely pay attention and when he noticed he reminded her that if her brew was not perfected them she would be happily blabbing all of her embarrassing secrets to her peers and she forced herself to pay closer attention to what she was doing.

The second she was dismissed from his classroom though she couldn't get to the library fast enough but she was stopped by Fred and George who were 'coincidentally' hanging out in the hall and were all too curious about where she was rushing off to. "The library." She told them and they exchanged looks. "Mind if we join you?" Fred asked and she sighed figuring they must have already seen right through her. "If you must." She said and as they walked George held Emmet and was not being very subtle as he walked extremely close to her. "Got to study?" He asked and she sighed and shook her head. "No. Actually Ivan and I agreed to meet." She informed him and Fred hooked an arm around her shoulder with a playful grin. "Oh, it's Ivan is it?" He snickered and she shoved him off as they entered the library and she spotted Ivan sitting at one of the tables peering down into a book with a confused expression.

"Good evening." She greeted him and he looked up from his book and arched an eyebrow when he realized they were not alone. "I vas vondering what vas keeping you." He said and she went to take a seat next to him but the twins quickly took both of the chairs beside him and she rolled her eyes and took the seat opposite him. "Sorry. On Mondays and Wednesdays I have extra potions classes after dinner." She informed him and he raised his eyebrows. "Why is dis?" He asked and Lyla was picking up on his speech patterns. Sometimes they were clean and clear but others they were choppy and he spoke slower as if he hadn't quite grasped the language fully. "Because she's a genius with potions." Fred informed Ivan proudly.

Ivan smiled. "I knew you vere more than just 'kind of good' with this." He said and Lyla didn't know what to say. "We thought that her extra classes meant she wouldn't have time to do anything else but I guess she made time for you." George said on his other side and Ivan's smile grew bigger. "This makes me happy." He said and Lyla regretted letting the twins come with her but she doubted they would have listened to her and come along anyways. They talked for a bit but after a while Lyla was far too embarrassed to continue the conversation and told Ivan she had to go to bed. "Okay." He nodded. "I vill not bug you tonight." He chuckled and Lyla nodded, her eyes on the ground. "Good." She said and she and the twins headed for Gryffindor tower.

"What did he mean when he said he wouldn't bother you tonight? George asked and Lyla shrugged. "I don't know." She lied but Fred knew her far too well. "You're lying and you're not very good at it." He told her and she sighed knowing that things were getting way too complicated for her to feel comfortable with.

For the next few weeks it seemed that Fred and George had completely forgotten about Ivan. At first she'd assumed it was because she'd refused to answer any more questions about him that they'd gotten bored but now she was wondering what it really was. They acted as if he didn't exist and they treated Lyla just like they always had.

During their practices Lyla's spells were hit and miss. Some nights she would be amazing and others she wouldn't be able to levitate a leaf but what she did accomplish was something she was very grateful for because during her potions class with the other students it was finally time for her to test her antidote to veritaserum and after Snape administered his brew she quickly took her antidote and began to pray she hadn't mess it up and it was a good thing she hadn't because Snape's first question was if she'd had her first kiss yet knowing that it would probably be the most embarrassing thing for a girl to discuss in front of her peers. When Professor Snape realized her brew had worked he didn't look ecstatic and Lyla wondered if he'd actually been looking forward to humiliating her and she couldn't help but notice that George, who'd been watching with rapt interest, looked a bit relieved when she informed Snape that her romantic life was none of his business proving that her antidote had worked.

It was the highlight of her week other than meeting up with Ivan a few times and Lyla was pretty shocked to find that her interest in him was dulling a bit because she was slowly realizing that he could be a bit pushy when it came to 'getting to know' her. At first they'd just talked and discussed various differences in the schools they attended and they also discussed their home lives but after a while Lyla noticed he would sit closer to her than he had before. His hand would find itself on her hair, petting it while she talked. She also found that when he hugged her randomly one day when they'd decided to part ways that he had a problem with knowing where his hands could be appropriately placed which left her face ablaze as she hurried back to the common room and then up to bed. She still found him attractive and his personality was interesting but she decided to put a bit of space between them after that day. Besides, her infatuation with him had become a bit distracting and she'd nearly neglected to do her homework on more than one occasion because she'd just get caught up in listening to him speak and she'd stuck her nose in her books and hadn't taken it out much unless she wanted to hang out with the twins which she was doing more often these days because when she was with them she didn't have to worry about Ivan randomly popping up and trying to get her alone.

By the time their first Hogsmeade visit rolled around Lyla was grateful to get out of the castle and that morning she threw on some simple clothes and caught up with George and Fred at breakfast. "I can finally get my wand looked at today." She said as she took a seat with them and the two were hovering over a piece of parchment but looked up as she joined them. "You want us to come with?" Fred asked and Lyla shook her head. "No I'm sure it won't take long. I'll meet up with you at Zonko's." She said and as they entered the little village she broke off from the two to head to Ollivander's where she was greeted by a short, plump woman with a big smile on her round face. "Can I help you?" The woman asked as she approached the counter and Lyla nodded. "Yes. I have a question about my wand. It was purchased by my parents but it's never really done me much good." She explained and the woman frowned. "may I see it?" She asked and Lyla handed her wand over.

"Hmmm Cedar…Unicorn hair…Quite bendy.." The woman seemed amiss. "And you say it doesn't do you much good. What do you mean?" She asked and Lyla shrugged. "Sometimes it works and other times it's like..It won't listen to me." She told the woman and she nodded. "Ah, I see. Would you be willing to part with it for another?" She asked and Lyla, though she was quite attached to her wand, nodded and the woman set her wand down and moved out from behind the counter flitting around the shop.

"Honestly your parents should have known better." The woman tittered as she pulled down a few boxes from the shelves from different cases. "The wand chooses the owner. You can't just be given any old wand. Some of them are very picky." She informed Lyla as she peeked into another box and then nodded to herself and brought the boxes over.

She opened one box and handed a wand over to Lyla. "Try this one." She said and Lyla gave it a flick only to have red sparks fly out of the end and the woman shook her head. "No no. That won't do." She sighed and Lyla handed it back as the woman gave her another. "How about this one?" Lyla gave this one a wave aiming at her old wand and tried to levitate it but nothing happened. The woman sighed again and gave her yet another wand but after trying a few more Lyla was getting a bit frustrated.

"Okay okay. I think I have just the one for you." The woman looked a tad too excited and she rummaged around behind the counter before bringing out a really dusty box that was a bit crushed. "Picky bugger, this one. I've been trying to sell it for years." She said as she blew the dust off the box and opened it. "Aspen with dragon heartstring. Ten inches and completely unbending in will and wood." The woman chortled as she handed the wand over and Lyla took it from her and as soon as she did she got a good feeling and she, again, tried to levitate her old wand sitting on the counter and she barely had to speak the words before the wand shot up into the air and Lyla let out an excited squeal.

Though she would miss her old wand she purchased the new one and happily made her way to Zonko's joke shop to meet up with the twins who were exiting the shop just as she made her way there and she shoved her new wand in their faces as they were stuffing their pockets. "Got yourself a new wand?" Fred asked and Lyla nodded. "Yup. Works like a charm too. Ten inchest of Aspeny dragon hearstring unbendable goodness." She proclaimed proudly and George chuckled at her silly display. "Fancy stuff." He said and shoved the rest of his purchases into his pockets. "You wanna try it out when we get back tonight?" He asked and Lyla nodded enthusiastically. "Heck yeah!" She exclaimed and they decided to stop by the Three Broomsticks because it was a bit cold out.

They sat at a table though it was hard to find a spot because of all the students and enjoyed their drinks. "The first task is coming up." Fred said while Lyla looked around at all the students. "Oh yeah." Lyla muttered having almost forgotten about the Triwizard tournament. "I wonder what it will be." George said and Fred's face split into a huge grin. "I'm pretty sure I know what it's gonna be." He said and both Lyla and George gave him curious expressions. "Well, go on." George urged him and Fred dropped the volume of his voice and spoke in almost a whisper. "Dragons." He said and Lyla's haw dropped. "What? No way!" She shook her head. There was no way they would put students up against dragons. "What makes you think it's dragons?" George asked and Fred had the most smug look on his face. "I saw Charlie sneaking around the school a few nights ago." He said and both George and Lyla were suddenly very excited. Lyla really wanted to see a dragon in the flesh but she was suddenly very very glad she hadn't put her name into the Goblet of Fire. If she had to face a dragon there was no way she'd succeed. She'd be one charred seer after that first task.

"Poor Harry." Lyla muttered with a shake of her head. " I don't envy him." She said and began to think of what they would possibly include dragons with. Would they have to fight them? There would have to be some serious safety precautions in place to make sure the students didn't die.

After they got back to the castle George said something about having something to attend to before darting off and Lyla and Fred headed straight for their usual practice spot and Lyla showed off her new wand and it didn't fail her a single time and even managed the hot air charm. Fred looked pretty smued at her excitement and applauded her as she took a lengthy bow. "Thank you. Thank you." She said dramatically flourishing her wand. "Sure glad you got a new wand. Looks like we won't have to practice anymore." Fred said and took a seat in the grass as the sun began to set. They would be having to head to dinner soon but Lyla wanted to enjoy the outdoors and was glad Fred seemed to want that as well. It may not have been the most pleasant weather but it was still better than being cooped up inside. Lyla shrugged. "Yeah I guess not." She was a bit disappointed but it was a good thing, right?

"I guess that also means you'll have more time to spend with Ivan." Fred flashed her a grin and she rolled her eyes at him. "No. That means I'm just going to be spending more time studying and being stuck up you and your brother's butts." She said and he cocked his head. "Why?" He asked and Lyla scratched at her head. "Have a spat with your foreign loverboy?" Fred poked fun at her and she shook her head. "No. I just don't think it would be a good idea to encourage him." She said and he arched an eyebrow. "Oh, this has got to be good." He chuckled and leaned forward. "You gotta tell me." He said and Lyla gazed towards the Durmstrang ship. "He's gotten a bit…Handsy." She admitted and Fred barked a laugh. "HAH!"

"But shouldn't that be a good thing? That means he likes you right?" Fred asked as she toyed with a blade of grass. "Maybe a bit too much." She grumbled and Fred prodded her forehead with his index finger. "Sounds like someone's crush was pretty short-lived." He chuckled and she nodded. "Yup. Looks that way." She said and she noticed the students beginning to file out of the ship to dine with the rest of the students and Lyla jumped to her feet and yanked on Fred's wrist. "Come on. Before he sees me." She urged him and Fred chuckled as he stood up and they walked back up towards the school. "You know there's a few ways to handle a situation like this." He said and Lyla picked up the pace of her steps. "Oh yeah? Please tell me, oh wise one." She said as he lengthened his stride to keep up with her which wasn't difficult for him thanks to his long legs.

"Well the most obvious one would be telling him you're no longer interested. It's not like he'll be here forever so then you'd just have to avoid him until he leaves. Or you could cover yourself in boils so he won't want to talk to you anymore or let him see you with another guy." Fred chuckled and Lyla rolled her eyes. "Out of those three options only one was actual advice. You're bad at this." She laughed and they headed for dinner to take their seats and Lyla noticed that George didn't show up until dinner was almost over.

….

**Man, this girl doesn't know how emotions work does she? Hahaha! And what did George have to run off for? We'll see because in the next chapter I've got some really cool stuff in store :) **

** Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter ten: Dragons and Thieves

**Wicked!Chapter ten**: Dragons and thieves.

**Summary**: Hello everyone and welcome to chapter ten! In this chapter George gives Lyla one hell of a surprise, something of hers goes missing, and Lyla loses her temper for the first time! Read on and enjoy :)

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

…

When George finally showed up for dinner he got a few looks from Lee, Fred, and Lyla as he squeezed in between Fred and her. "What was so important?" Fred asked. It seemed like George was breathing a bit heavy as if he'd been running. "Huh? Oh…Nothing." He shook his head and began filling his plate with food and eating quickly. "I highly doubt that." Lyla said while she watched him and he spared her a glance out of the corner of his eye and she saw his mouth turn up in a stealthy grin but he didn't divulge any information. "You wanna get together in the common room-"Fred was cut off as George shook his head. "I can't." He said quickly and Fred arched an eyebrow. "Okay. What are you up to and why am I not in on it?" He asked and Lyla felt something brush against her leg and glanced down to see George's hand trying to shove a piece of parchment at her. She took it and read it under the table as George told his brother it wasn't anything grand that he was missing, just something small that he wanted to do alone.

On the parchment were just a few scribbled words_. I'll meet you in the library after dinner_. Lyla looked up from the note and hoped that Ivan wouldn't be lurking in the library. That would be entirely too awkward for Lyla to handle at the moment especially after Fred's advice earlier about letting Ivan see her with another guy. There was no way she could do that. It just seemed a bit cruel to her. 'About as cruel as avoiding him..' She thought.

"You're late." George said when she finally made it to the library. She'd gone back up to her room to a very agitated Emmet who made it very obvious he didn't appreciate being locked up alone all day but he forgave her when she gave him a piece of a roll she'd kept from dinner for him. "I had to change." She said and peered around expecting Ivan to be somewhere within the bookshelves but she saw no sign of him. "What's this all about?" She asked and George's face split into a big grin. "C'mon." He said and motioned for her to follow him out of the library and, after looking around, he led her outside peeking over his shoulder every few minutes as if he were afraid to be caught which was new to see. Usually he was pretty carefree with wandering the halls. Sure he wasn't fond of being caught by teachers but this was different.

"Where are we going?" Lyla asked him as he jogged across the grounds. He didn't answer her but he didn't have to. Lyla stopped in her tracks when she realized where he was headed. "Are you insane? We can't go in there!" She hissed standing at the tree line of the Forbidden Forest. He looked over his shoulder at her and shook his head. "Don't worry." He said and hooked his elbow with hers. "It's worth it. Believe me." He said and there was something about the way he said it that really made her want to find out what he wanted to show her. "Fine but if I die in there I am so coming back to haunt the hell out of you." She threatened and he nodded. "Fair enough." He chuckled and she took a deep breath as they started into the forest.

"Quiet now." He whispered and his footsteps were light, Lyla tried to be light on her feet and not make much noise but since it was fall there were plenty of dead leaves and sticks to crunch and crackle beneath her feet. "So what is this secret?" She whispered and George shook his head. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." He said and she sighed. "Fine."

They crept through the forest and the deeper they went the creepier the environment became. Lyla couldn't shake the feeling of being watched from every angle and she wondered what manner of creatures lived within the forest. For comfort she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her wand, gripping it tightly. If anything touched her she would stun the crap out of it and run like hell.

"How much further?" She asked after they'd been walking for so long that Lyla, when she looked back, couldn't see a single speck of the school grounds. "Shhh!" George suddenly silenced her by putting a hand over her mouth and Lyla realized why after a moment. In the distance she could hear shouting and something else. Something that shook her to her bones. Roars. "Not much farther now." George whispered and Lyla stared as the woods before them lit up with bright bursts of light peeking through the trees. Lyla wanted to ask what the hell he was taking her to but she knew he wouldn't answer and just continued with him until it became very clear what the surprise was.

Her jaw dropped as George pulled her to the side behind a thick three and the two poked their heads around it to get a good look at four humongous and very aggressive looking dragons. "Oh…My…God…" Lyla breathed as she watched them all snort flames all around and one of them let out a horrible screech and Lyla had to cover her ears. There were a large number of wizards tending to them and trying to keep them under control but the beasts did not seem to be having any of it.

George jerked her back behind the tree and made her duck down in the shrubbery around it as more voices joined and Lyla peeked over the bush to see Hagrid and the enormous Beauxbatons woman staring in awe at the creatures. George pulled her back down and suddenly she heard shouting "Stupefy!" And in the next moment the trees around them shook as very heavy bodies toppled over and Lyla felt a bit of sadness for the creatures that had to be extremely confused in their new environment.

"I want to see." Lyla told George and he shook his head. "Wait." He said and off to their right Lyla heard footsteps and Lyla spotted a figure moving towards the dragons, It was karkaroff and he only lingered for a few minutes before sneaking off again, no doubt to tell Krum of what the first task would be. It left Lyla wondering how many of the champions would actually know what was coming. Should she warn Harry? It didn't seem fair that the other schools would know what to expect if he didn't.

George made her wait for a long time after Hagrid and Madame Maxime had left before he tugged on her hand and led her around the tree. "Hey! We'll get caught!" She hissed to the boy but he didn't seem the slight bit worried and he pulled her out from behind the tree as well and she came to face to face with Charlie. "I was wondering when you'd come out." The man smirked and Lyla gaped at him. "George…How?" She was lost for words. Charlie was expecting them?

"You've got yourself a handful here, Lyla." Charlie said and she couldn't stop staring at him, dumbfounded. George was grinning proudly but his brother didn't look too amused and Lyla could only imagine what he could have possibly done or said that Charlie had agreed to letting them come out and see the dragons before the first task. "You sure she won't tell anyone?" Charlie asked his brother as Lyla stared at the stunned beasts lying around. "I won't." Lyla said, her eyes never leaving the dragons. The red one's gaze was set on her and she watched its belly rising and falling with each enormous inhale. "They're beautiful." She breathed and she saw Charlie smile in her peripherals. "Yes they are." He agreed and motioned them to follow. "Since you're out here you might as well get a good look." He said and Lyla didn't hesitate to hurry along behind him. He took them up a long wooden stairway the led up to the wooden platform where the beasts were enclosed, surrounded by very thick wood making up the walls. At the top she was able to see the creatures up close, the platform at the top of the stairs overlooking the enclosure. "Wow.." She breathed. The red one she'd held eye contact with the whole way was only a few yards away. "Isn't this dangerous? Being so close?" Lyla asked and Charlie chuckled. "It would have been a little while ago but right now it's fine." He said with a shrug he began pointing out the different breeds and when he pointed to the Chinese Fireball last Lyla sighed, content. "She's gorgeous."

"That she is but she's got a horrible temper. Nothing like the Horntail but still nothing to be trifled with. The Short Snout and the Welsh are a bit calmer though you wouldn't know it right now." He said and George couldn't stop staring at the Hungarian Horntail. "I do not envy the champion who gets that one." He said and let out a low whistle. "I don't either. Then again I don't envy any of them. These are all nesting mothers which makes them far more dangerous than any male dragon." Charlie explained and Lyla could only imagine. "Mothers. I wonder why they would need mothers." She pondered out loud and Charlie sighed. "I have no idea but if the task has anything to do with their nests those champions are going to have their work cut out for them."

They made their way back through the forest shortly after that and Lyla was smiling like an idiot. She'd thanked Charlie about a hundred times for letting her see the dragons up close but he'd waved off her thanks and told her to thank George for being a sneaky dog who wouldn't be receiving any favors from him in the near future.

"How did you manage to get him to agree?" Lyla asked George as they walked and George shot her a grin, his teeth glinting at her in the bit of moonlight and she shook her head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know." She said and he chuckled. "It was worth it just to see the look on your face." He said. "Thank you." She said and he stopped in his tracks. "Lyla."

She stopped and turned to look at him through the dark. She could barely see him even though the moon was bright. It was blocked out by the tall trees and only a bit of light filtered through the treetops. "I really want to see you smile like that more often." He said and Lyla, feeling a bit unsure of what to say, chuckled. "I doubt you have dragons on hand so don't expect it. You really should have had Fred come along. He would have had a fit." She joked and she saw him shake his head. "I've noticed you've looked more stressed recently and I didn't like it. I don't know if Fred noticed but I did and I wanted to do something special to take your mind off of whatever it is that's been stressing you out and I remember you telling Charlie that you really wanted to see a dragon before." He said and Lyla smiled to herself at how thoughtful George could be. "Fred can see the dragons at the first task. Tonight I wanted to show you something that no one ever has." His voice had dropped to a low mumble and Lyla wondered if he was a bit embarrassed to admit something like that. "George. You are wonderful." She sighed and quickly hugged him. "Yeah yeah.." He grumbled after taking a moment to hug her back.

By the time they got back to the common room it was empty aside from Emmet whom she'd left behind again and when she entered the room he ran at her at breakneck speed and quickly scurried up her being very noisy as he let loose a string of grunts and chitters in her ear which made her rub at it and then hold the ferret in her arms like an infant so she could scratch his chin. "I'm sorry, Em." She apologized to the little furry cutiepie in her arms and he let out a small grunt again.

She and George parted ways to head for bed and Lyla knew she would dream of dragon fire and enormous pupils the moment her head hit the pillow.

Tuesday morning was full of buss from the students. The first task was scheduled for later that day after lunch and it was pretty difficult to focus in class when all anyone wanted to do was talk about what the task could be and Lyla felt a bit bad for Harry being the youngest of the champions. How would he deal with a dragon? If it were her she'd probably faint and be burned alive on the spot but she'd promised she wouldn't say anything so she wouldn't. She just hoped he would make it through okay or at least in one piece.

When lunch rolled around she watched as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry off and while he was looking around she gave him a thumbs up which she couldn't be sure if he saw or not. Fred and George were talking excitedly next to her and when they made their way out onto the school grounds and passed the tent that Lyla assumed the champions were to wait in she sent a silent prayer to the sky hoping someone would hear it and she and the rest of the students entered the dragon enclosure which now had stands for people to sit to watch the awful game about to be played.

Watching it was nearly unbearable. Fred and George were screaming and cheering, for the dragons, but Lyla kept looking away at every close call and there were many. When she saw Krum taking on the Chinese Fireball it was thrilling to watch the way the creature moved but she still couldn't take it and when it came time for Harry to face down the Horntail Lyla was ready for all of this to be over. It might be thrilling for some to watch their peers in possible mortal danger but not for Lyla and when it was over and Harry had only sustained a scratch she breathed a sigh of relief. The twins shot her glances as they waited for the scores and Fred laughed as she sat down and hunched over, simply glad that no one had been killed. "If that was the first task I can't even imagine what the next two will be." She grumbled as the two plopped down next to her and gave her hearty pats on the back. "Good job for not throwing up. For a second there I thought you might." Fred chuckled.

The crowd roared when Krum and Harry tied for first place and Lyla already knew she would be giving Harry the biggest hug the next time she saw him just to thank him for not dying. She'd initially thought he would be at a disadvantage but he'd turned out to be one of the best.

As the students headed back up to the school Lyla spotted Ivan who was cheering Krum's name along with the other Durmstrang students and she tried to use the twins as cover as she passed him and she couldn't be sure if it worked because she wasn't willing to look back to check. She noticed Fred did though and he chuckled quietly to himself with a shake of his head.

The twins snuck off to steal food from the kitchens and Lyla went up to her room having left Emmet there when time had come for the task. She didn't think he'd be overly fond of dragons so it was for his own good that she kept him in the room. If she hadn't he would have lost his little mind at the first sight of fire. Of course the little guy knew none of that and didn't look too happy with Lyla when she let him out. He passed right by her and went down the stairs to the common room.

The celebration thrown for Harry compliments of Fred, George, and Lee was fun and Lyla definitely hugged Harry and told him she was glad he didn't die. He'd laughed at her and was distracted by Ron so Lyla took a seat on the steps that led to the girl's dormitories and watched the party. Of course she might have watched Angelina Johnson giggle at something George said for a bit too long. She wouldn't have noticed she'd been staring for so long if it wasn't for Emmet, seeming to have forgiven her, hopping onto the step she was sitting on with a pastry in his paws and she was tempted to take it from him but if she did there would be no hope for forgiveness so she took it, broke off a small piece, and gave him that and nibbled on the rest of it as they sat there looking like quite the pair.

"Quit being such a downer, Lyla!" Fred exclaimed when he noticed her sitting by herself. "I'm not being a downer." She said as he took her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. "I'm being an observer." She laughed as someone told Harry to open his golden egg that he'd fought so hard to get from the dragon. He did a moment later and Lyla shoved her hands over her ears and Emmet spazzed out as an awful screeching banshee howl ripped through the common room and Fred shouted for him to shut it.

Lyla figured it was enough excitement for her and just as the twins began to tease Hermione on something about House elves she headed up the steps hoping the noise from the party wouldn't keep her awake. She would have liked to stay up with everyone but if she did that then she would definitely regret it in the morning.

She got ready for bed and laid down on top of the blankets and reached for her bedside table out of habit for her crystal ball but when her hand met empty space she sat up and she looked to see that it wasn't there. "What the hell…?" She rolled off the bed and got on her knees to check to see if maybe it had fallen and rolled under the bed but there was nothing there so she checked around the table and it took her a moment to realize that where her crystal ball had been sitting was now a note.

_ If you want it back you know where to find it, strange girl._

It wasn't signed but Lyla knew exactly who it was from anyways and her hands curled into fists. For a second she wondered how Ivan had gotten into her room but Fred had done it once so she assumed it couldn't be that hard. "Son of a…" She got to her feet and threw on her robes over her pajamas and stuffed her feet into her shoes and stormed down back down the stairs ready to use every spell she'd learned on Ivan if he didn't give her back what he'd taken. The nerve of him!

Emmet was alarmed, grunting as he scurried after her and it was as if she had blinders on as she left the Common room and jogged down the stairs, her temper boiling and she barely heard them when Fred and George called her name from the fat lady's portrait. "Where are you going?" Fred called after her and she shouted over her shoulder not caring who heard her. "I'm going to knock some sense into a Durmstrang dumbass!"

"Wait for us!" They called and she could hear them hurrying down the steps after her as she hit the hallway at a brisk pace. She didn't care if he was a guest or if she wasn't representing Hogwarts in a respectable light she would tear the whole ship apart looking for what was hers if she had to. "What happened?" George asked as the two caught up. She gripped her wand firmly in her fist not bothering to look around corners as she went and really not caring if she earned a detention or lost points for the house or whatever punishment given she would take gladly.

"He stole my crystal ball." Lyla grumbled as she exited the castle. "What? The one I gave you? When?" George asked and Lyla shrugged. "I don't know. I don't care how or when or why but I am going to get it back." She said firmly as she stormed towards the ship and she was wondering just how she was going to get Ivan to come out when she heard a few people laughing off in the distance to the right. "Strange girl!" An all too familiar voice called to her and Lyla whirled in the direction, wand aimed as Ivan jogged over to her.

When he noticed she was pointing her wand at him he put his hands up in defense. "I knew it vould not be long before I saw you." He chuckled and lowered his hands as if he were no longer concerned about the threat. "Give it back." She said and he reached into his pocket and pulled out her crystal ball. "I just vanted to talk to you." He said. "I thought dis vould get your attention." He said and held the ball up to the light of the moon, inspecting it. "It is a very interesting object." He said and Lyla extended her hand. "Give it back." She repeated.

"Only if you talk to me." He said and she glowered at him. "Is this how you think you're supposed to get a girl's attention?" She snapped and he nodded. "Yes and it vorked." He grinned and the twins lingered behind her and she couldn't tell if they were there for support or just to watch but her question was answered a moment later when George threw on arm around her shoulder and Lyla could have strangled him when he took a friendly tone.. "Look. You like Lyla, we get it. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm. You just wanted to get her attention and we all make stupid mistakes when trying to get a girl's attention but Lyla…" George ruffled Lyla's hair and she was really wanting to choke him a little bit. "Lyla is different. You have to give her time and space because," He chuckled. "Let's be honest she's a bit flip floppy with her emotions." He winked at Ivan and Fred stepped in. "We know her pretty well and we know she likes you but you can't rush things with her she's kind of like a skittish animal. If you push her too hard she'll run for the hills." Fred said and Lyla looked between the brothers. Just whose side were they on? It didn't feel like it was hers at all.

"Plus that crystal ball means a lot to her. I gave it to her for Christmas last year." George said and Ivan looked like he was thinking it over, mulling over the information given to him. "You like me?" He asked Lyla. "No! I do-" She was cut off by Fred who nudged her sharply with his elbow. "She does. Don't let her fool you. She just has a hard time admitting it because you're the first guy she's ever liked." He said and she could feel her hand shaking as George slowly lowered her wand arm casually. "But she would probably like you a whole lot more if you didn't steal from her." He said and Ivan nodded.

After a moment he extended his hand with the ball in it. "I am sorry. I thought it vas good idea. I vas stupid." Ivan's glance flickered from the twins to her and back again as she took the crystal ball from him. "Thank you." She said through gritted teeth. "Now I think it's time for little miss cranky robes to get some sleep." Fred smiled pleasantly and took Lyla by the shoulders to steer her away back towards the castle while Ivan waved her goodbye looking surly.

"What was that?" Lyla asked as they got back into the castle. "We just helped you." Fred said. "We resolved the issue without things getting violent." George said and patted her shoulder. She understood why they would do that and now that she had her crystal ball back her temper was simmering down and she was a bit grateful for their interference. "You should have let me hex him." She grumbled and the two chuckled as they made it back to the common room where the party was dying down but still going and Emmet scurried off to the area where food was most present.

"I don't think Dumbledore would be too happy with a spat between you and a Durmstrang student considering they're supposed to be our guests and us being the gracious hosts." Fred said as he grabbed a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth. "And I also don't think he'd be too happy about said Durmstrang student stealing from the gracious hosts." She shot at him, still a bit irritated. "I'm sure Dumbledore would tell you that it was just a case of a boy trying to get your attention and even if it wasn't the best way to go about it I still don't think he'd be happy to find out you resolved the problem by hexing him." George said and she knew he was right but in her current state that was impossible to admit out loud.

"You're not invincible, Lyla. Those Durmstrang guys learn a lot of dangerous spells and getting into a duel with one of them probably wouldn't go in your favor and even if it did there would be serious consequences for your actions." Fred said with a mouthful of pastry. "Leave it to the two who stole food from the kitchens and have a record a mile long to lecture me on consequences." Lyla sighed and the two chuckled. "Yeah. What are we thinking? We should have let you hex him. It would have been funny watching that bumbling oaf have his legs go wobbly and then fall on his face." George laughed. "His face would be fine because his nose would soak up the impact." Fred cackled.

"You two are too much." Lyla giggled and headed for the dormitories again. "Maybe now I can sleep." She said and waved to the two while bidding them goodnight.

….

** Ivan is not very bright is he? Tsk tsk. One more bad move like that and Lyla just might have to test her new wand out on him hahaha. Good thing the Weasley twins were there to keep things from getting out of hand. **

** In the next chapter there's an announcement about a ball? Woah, what? Is that what the dress was for? Holy crap Lyla might actually have to put some effort into her appearance for once. That ought to be fun but first she's going to have to learn how to dance and cope with a resurfacing bad habit! The next chapter might take an extra day to post because it's going to be a long one. **

** Thanks for reading! **


	11. Chapter eleven: The Yule Ball

**Wicked! Chapter eleven**: The Yule Ball.

**Summary**: Hey everyone and welcome to chapter eleven! Sorry it took me a bit longer to update than usual but I had some stuff going on. Anyways, in this chapter Lyla's been having trouble getting enough sleep, the Yule Ball comes around, and Lyla doesn't know what to make of some new emotions.

**Disclaimer**:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

...

It was relatively easy to avoid Ivan the next couple of weeks as she went about classes and he wasn't even in the library as she went about her homework which she was very grateful for because it seemed that since students had been slacking a bit thanks to the Triwizard tournament the teachers decided they needed to buckle down more and had been assigning so much homework that Lyla could barely keep up with it along with her extra lessons. It was a good thing she no longer needed to practice her spells with the twins because if she did there was no way she could have kept up with it all. Of course that left her with another problem entirely. When the twins weren't fooling around or hanging out with Lee Jordan, Katie Bell, or Angelina Johnson they were bugging the crap out of her and though she wanted to spend time with them it really wasn't that easy.

"I have too much work." She tried to explain to them but the two were having none of it. "That's no excuse." Fred said and he'd dragged her off away from her books to go find something entertaining to do. With how busy things were she was definitely getting worn out.

December was upon them and the chill in the air was getting worse with each passing day and when Lyla rose from her bed on the eighth it was agonizing to leave the comfort of her bed. All Lyla wanted to do was curl up under her blankets and not do anything for the whole day but Emmet was wide awake and pouncing on her head poking out from the top of the covers. She tried to ignore him but after a few minutes it became impossible and she sat up and threw the blankets off of her realizing most of the other girls had already gotten ready for the day and were probably down at breakfast.

Lyla was sluggish as she pulled on her robes and didn't bother to smooth her hair down. It was at a snail's pace that she went down to breakfast and slumped into a seat next to the twins and let out a loud yawn. "You look awful." George said and she nodded, unable to bring herself to give a damn about how she looked, and started to nibble on some food. "He's right. You look dead." Fred said and she yawned again, her eyelids threatening to drop closed and she looked at her plate wondering if it would make an okay pillow. "Up late again?" George asked and she nodded. "Yeah." She mumbled and pushed some eggs around on her plate.

For the last week Lyla had been up almost until the sun came up working on homework and studying. Since she tried to hang out with the two boys almost every night to keep them content it caused her to have to do her homework far later than she should have. "I think I've only had about…" Lyla's brain was sluggish as she tried to add up her sleep. "Eight hours of sleep this week total." She grumbled and the twins stared at her. "Don't you think you might be pushing yourself too hard?" Fred asked and she shrugged and waved off his concern as she let out yet another yawn. "I can handle it." She said unsure if the statement was true or not.

"Maybe you should go to sleep early tonight." George suggested and Lyla shrugged again and slouched, setting her cheek in her palm and supporting her head with her elbow. "Mmmhmmm." She hummed, her eyes drifting closed.

"Lyla!" The two exclaimed and she jerked, dropping her fork and sitting up straight. "Huh?" She looked at them and they both laughed as she groaned. "Damn it…" She sighed and slapped herself on the cheek trying to wake herself up more. Professor McGonagall would skin her alive if she caught Lyla sleeping in her class.

When she headed for Transfiguration with George and Fred she begged them to keep her awake during class. "Do whatever you have to do to keep me awake." She said and the two grinned at her. "Careful what you wish for." Fred chuckled and she took a seat between the twins.

It turned out George and Fred had their work cut out for them because it seemed like every few minutes Lyla was nodding off in the middle of taking notes or practicing changing the color of her eyebrows but it was such a dreadfully boring lesson that the twins jabbed her quite a few times to bring her back. Fred even stuck a very wet finger in her ear which definitely made her wake up quickly and shoot him a glare.

Near the end of the lesson Lyla was a bit more awake for when Professor McGonagall announced the Yule ball, a tradition that went along with the Triwizard tournament. Lyla frowned at the news suddenly realizing what the dress Mrs. Weasley had gotten for her was all about. 'Awesome.' Lyla thought bitterly. To her this was just another way to humiliate herself by being unable to dance very well.

After class was dismissed the students began to talk excitedly, especially the girls, and the twins were laughing as they made their way down the hall with Lyla. "So who do you think you'll try to go with?" George asked his brother and it hadn't even occurred to Lyla that they were to have dates. "I don't know yet." Fred shrugged and glanced over his shoulder at Lyla. "It's probably way easier for a girl to find a date. Who are you thinking about?" He asked her and she scratched Emmet's head. "My ferret?" She shrugged. "If I can find a little suit for him to wear he'd be perfect." She said with a chuckle. He wouldn't talk much, he wouldn't ask her to dance, and she wouldn't have to worry about him doing anything inappropriate other than stealing food.

"Oh, c'mon. You have to have someone in mind." George said and she shook her head and they split up and Lyla headed to Defense against the Dark Arts.

After classes Lyla was shocked by how many students were talking about the Yule Ball. Of course she could understand why. It sounded like a fun event but Lyla couldn't figure out for the life of her how she was supposed to get a date. She barely even knew anyone at the school. They were all mostly passing acquaintances. She thought about it the whole night until she finally went to bed.

As the holidays grew closer Lyla found herself asked to the ball twice. Once by a very lanky boy who'd looked so nervous he'd barely spat the words out at her before running off and then by a stocky boy with short blonde hair and pimples everywhere. He'd been so confident when he asked her that Lyla hadn't known what to say. The fact that it was right in front of the twins didn't make it any better because they both began to cackle wildly as she'd shaken her head. "No. Thank you."

"Did you see that strut? He looked like some conquering hero!" Fred doubled over with laughter and Lyla rolled her eyes. "He couldn't really think you'd say yes. I mean, you may not be the best looking girl in the school, but you're way too good looking for him." He went on and Lyla could feel her tiny ego deflating. The fact that she'd been asked at all was enough to make her happy.

She'd left them there to head to dinner before them and when they did show up they were teasing Harry and Ron about not having found dates yet and Fred was very blunt when he asked Angelina Johnson who looked thrilled to be his date. George gave him an approving grin and Lyla was suddenly very curious on who she should go with if she decided to with anyone at all. Would it be too pathetic for her to go alone?

As the break went on, for some reason, Lyla began to wonder if George would ask her. He'd already made it abundantly clear that he was interested in her so it was a possibility right? She didn't have the gumption to ask him even though it would be kind of perfect for them to go together. She'd been warming up to him more over the weeks. He was always there to give her a heads up to anyone looking like they were about to ask her to the ball so she could slip away before they did and ever since he'd taken her to see the dragons she'd been thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have George as more than just a friend. Of course every time she thought that she would force herself not think of that anymore. It was getting a bit ridiculous when she would catch herself looking at him and thinking about what it would be like. It was downright embarrassing.

He didn't ask her though. Instead he asked Katie Bell who, of course, said yes to him and Lyla couldn't figure out why she felt a bit disappointed. Had she really expected him to ask her when she'd told him she just wanted to stay friends? He couldn't be expected to hold onto hope of her changing her mind for too long. She told herself she had no right to be disappointed but it didn't stop her from feeling it which left her confused. Why was she disappointed anyways?

She was pondering this exact question in the library when she was supposed to be focusing on her homework when Ivan sat down beside her and offered her a polite smile. "Hello." He greeted her and Lyla returned his greeting with a bit of a forced smile. She was a bit uncomfortable around him still and she hadn't quite gotten over the crystal ball incident but he looked harmless enough at the moment. "Do you have date for Yule Ball yet?" He asked casually and though Lyla thought about Lying to him she shook her head. "Nope." She said and he smiled even bigger. "Vill you go vith me?" He asked and she thought about it. Everyone was pairing off these days and the chances of her getting a date was slimmer and slimmer with each passing day and though she didn't want to go with anyone in particular she'd decided she didn't want to go alone. That really would be too pathetic. Even for her.

Ivan wasn't a bad looking guy. Quite the opposite, he was really handsome but she wasn't overly fond of his personality anymore which was the most important aspect for her in a guy. Looks weren't bad but if she couldn't get along with him then what was the point? She decided it was just one night and there would be plenty of other people around so he probably wouldn't do anything too inappropriate so she agreed to be his date in the end. What harm could it do?

She didn't bother telling the twins who she would be going with and as far as they knew she would be going alone. They didn't ask her if she was going with anyone so she assumed they had accepted she wouldn't be having a date.

The closer the ball came the more nervous Lyla got and this was apparent when she found herself sleepwalking a few times. Once she was caught by Professor McGonagall who, Lyla was lucky, believed her when she told her what was going on. The woman suggested a lock on the bedroom door but she let her go on her way.

By the morning of Christmas Lyla was a bundle of nerves. She opened the presents her parents sent her which were all clothes since she'd told them of her problem with growing out of her old ones and she'd wished she'd had the money to get everyone presents but she'd been sending all of her money to Connor though he always told her to stop. "Don't worry about it, Lyla. You gave us enough last year to not have to give us presents for the next two years." Fred told her and ruffled her hair as they headed down to breakfast.

The castle was impressively decorated this year, no doubt to impress their guests, but Lyla couldn't bring herself to admire the decorations for long because she kept noticing Katie Bell throwing George shy smiles and flirty waves. 'Get a hold of yourself, Lyla. You're acting like a child.' She told herself as she felt a small sting of jealousy. She had no reason to be jealous!

That afternoon she went outside with the twins and wasn't expecting the impromptu snowball fight but when she got pegged in the face by a mound of snow thrown by George who was grinning from ear to ear she retaliated quickly and hit him in the back as he attempted to flee. Fred got him as well before turning his aim to Lyla who tried to dodge and poor Emmet took the brunt of the hit and toppled off her shoulder in a pile of slush. He grunted, offended, and chased after Fred who screamed something about a rabid ferret on the loose and while she was laughing and watching she didn't notice George sneaking up on her and he planted a huge handful of snow onto her head.

They were all thoroughly soaked to the bone by the time the fight ended and they hurried into the castle to get warm. Lyla was clutching Emmet to her as they both shivered and they went to the common room to warm up by the fire but Lyla informed them she had to get ready. "Get ready? You're actually going?" Fred asked and Lyla shot him a look. "Of course I'm going." She huffed as Emmet bounded over to the fire and curled up. The twins joined him giving her a curious look. "Then you've got a date?" George asked and she nodded. "Yep." She said and he asked her who it was but she was already on her way up the stairs to figure out what the hell she was going to do.

First thing she HAD to do was take a long hot bath to drive the chill away. Afterwards she made sure her hair didn't stick up and she smoothed it even though she knew the curls would pop up so she combed her hair and with each stroke she flipped the comb up at the ends so at least her curls would be intentional. Satisfied with the look she rummaged through her bag to find the dress Mrs. Weasley had gotten her and hoped it would fit. If it didn't then she wouldn't have any idea what to do.

The black fabric had a soft, satiny feel to it and when she slipped it over her head she prayed that it wouldn't be too tight. She tugged it down and zipped it up on the side and then stepped in front of the full length mirror and stared at herself in shock. The dress was very conservative on the top, hugging her shoulders and it had a peculiar fashion that she'd seen on some women where it had droops of fabric on the chest that made her feel like an elegant lady. Unfortunately it hugged her hips tightly, a bit too much in her opinion but after the tops of her thighs it flowed out smoothly down to the floor.

She turned and stared at the back which showed off her shoulder blades and she judged herself. She'd never worn anything like this before and wasn't exactly comfortable with it. She'd be feeling vulnerable and fidgety all night most likely.

Lyla sighed, figuring there wasn't much else she could do and slipped on a pair of shoes that matched. They had the smallest of heels but they still made her feel unnaturally tall compared to her normal height which she was used to.

To spruce up her face a little bit she took some mascara out of her bag. She always had it just in case but never really used it because she just couldn't bring herself to try to appear more feminine and the way it made her eyes pop made her cringe at herself. She didn't look like herself and she didn't really like it but she decided that for this one night she could be this person.

With a deep breath she left the room and headed down the steps to the common room where she could hear people talking, mostly girls and when she looked around the room she laughed at the sight of the twins poking fun at each other as they both tried to adjust themselves, probably just as uncomfortable in their clothes as she was in hers.

She had to admit though that they both looked very handsome in their robes. "Wow. You two could almost pass as gentlemen." She teased just as Emmet seemed to notice her and hurried over. He sniffed at her, gave her a weird noise, and then began to circle her curiously. "Lyla?" Fred arched an eyebrow and looked her over then let out a low whistle. "You look like a different person." He said and she chuckled. "I know right? I actually look like a lady." She grinned and fluttered her hand in front of her face.

She looked at George who was messing with his bowtie which was lopsided and he stopped when he saw her. "Wow. You look really nice." He said and she batted his hands away from his bowtie and fixed it for him. "You two look great." She told him and he looked down at himself. "I feel like a clown." He chuckled and she shook her head. "Nonsense. You're very handsome." She offered him a smile and sighed. "Well, time for the moment of truth." She said and made to head out of the common room.

Ivan met her at the entrance to the Great hall and he was looking sharp in black robes with a crimson tie which looked a bit showy to her but she wasn't going to be rude. He did look very nice and his smile was huge when he saw her and extended his hand to her so they could enter the feast together. She looked around at all the couples and her jaw dropped when she saw Hermione who looked absolutely stunning.

Ivan steered her towards a table that was unoccupied as of yet and she looked down at the menu, curious of this new way of doing things. It didn't take her long to figure out how she was supposed to order and her plate filled with a delicious looking pasta as soon as she ordered. "Wow." She said and Ivan smiled at her. "This is very impressive." He said as a strange pork dish appeared on his plate.

The twins joined their table much to Lyla's surprise and Angelina Johnson offered Lyla a smile. "You look really nice." She said and Lyla nodded. "Thank you. You do too." She said and Ivan beamed around the table as more people joined them. "She is a vision, no?" He said and touched Lyla's arm which made her a tad uncomfortable but she didn't let it show. "I have never seen such a potent combination of beauty and brains. I know exactly how Victor is feeling right now." He grinned and he shot a pointed look to Krum who was sucked into conversation with Hermione.

Lyla could have sworn she heard George mumble something and Katie must have heard it too because she asked what he'd said but he denied having said anything and it was soon forgotten as a few girls at their table began to ask Ivan if he knew Krum and suddenly he was the center of attention. A few of the girls even grumbled bitterly about Hermione and Lyla, liking the girl very much, snapped at them. "It's really not an attractive quality when girls your age are so obvious about their jealousy." She said and none of them seemed a fan of her comment but they turned their attentions to their dates and Ivan gave her a proud look. "And fiercely loyal to friends too. Vat a lucky catch I have made." He said and she ignored his comment and ate.

When the feast was over the tables and chairs were swept away and a stage was erected against one of the walls and a band took to it and began to play. The champions danced with their respective partners for the first song and then other couples eagerly joined in and Lyla was too busy watching them all that she barely noticed Ivan reaching for her until he was dragging her by the wrist to the dance floor.

"I can't dance all that well!" She insisted but he ignored her and when they reached the dance floor her slipped an arm around her waist and jerked her against him with a huge smile. Ivan was a far better dancer than she was and she felt very awkward as he guided her movements but she allowed it for a few songs before she told him she had to sit down and have something to drink. He led her off to the side and she sat down in one of the chairs lined up against a wall and he went off to get her a drink. She'd insisted she could get it herself but he wouldn't hear any of it.

Lyla watched other couples dance and she couldn't hide her smile as she spotted Fred and Angelina who were moving so wildly that people around them kept their distance. Emmet dodged feet as he pranced around the room investigating the couples.

"Having fun?" Someone asked next to her and she turned her head to see George who'd taken a seat beside her. She nodded and looked around for his date. "Where'd Katie go?" She asked and he shrugged. "I think the bathroom." He said and she nodded. "And Ivan?" He asked and she pointed off in the direction he'd gone. "To get drinks." She told him and he suddenly grinned. "That means I have a chance to get that dance you owe me." He said and Lyla frowned at him. "What?" She asked and he shook his head. "You didn't dance with me at the birthday party so you owe me a dance remember?" He jogged her memory and Lyla chuckled. "You have strange timing." She laughed and he shrugged. "When else am I going to get the chance?" He grinned and she nodded. "Fine but only one song." She said and he got to his feet and extended his hand to her like a gentleman and she laughed at his display as he led her back to the dance floor.

The band struck up a slower song compared to the others it had been playing and Lyla felt awkward as she watched the couples all around get closer and she tried to mimic the girls and put her arm around George's shoulders and if it wasn't for the bit of added height thanks to her shoes it would have been much more difficult. He put an arm around her and took her other hand in his and smirked down at her. "Please don't step on my feet." He teased and she smirked right back. "No promises."

The movements were slow and easy to follow which Lyla was grateful for. Anything faster and she would have probably been stumbling all over the place making a fool out of herself. George was oddly graceful and seemed to have no problem keeping eye contact with her while keeping his footwork light and steady. She kept having to glance down which made George chuckle and she flushed a bit in embarrassment but tried to continue looking calm and collected.

He spun with her and kept her close as he led her around the other couples and she could have sworn she'd seen Fred wink at her with a grin but George blocked her vision in the next second as he spun her again. "Your date is glaring at me." He said as he stared off behind her and she would have turned to look but George blocked her view again by turning her and leading her off again in a series of movements that was a tad confusing but she kept up. "You did pull a sneaky move by stealing me when he wasn't around." She chuckled and he shook his head. "I didn't steal you. I borrowed you." He said and the song ended and George was pulled away by Katie who wanted to dance and Lyla returned to Ivan, disappointed, who was looking rather displeased.

"This boy. He is only friend?" He asked and Lyla took the drink he offered her and nodded. "Yeah." She said glancing over her shoulder at George who was laughing with Katie as they danced and she was beaming up at him. "I do not think friends look at friends the vay he vas looking at you." Ivan's tone was bitter and Lyla felt her insides churn as Katie threw her arms around George giggling.

After she finished her drink Ivan wanted to dance with her some more and she obliged feeling guilty for dancing with George when Ivan was her date. It didn't feel the same dancing with Ivan though. With George she felt more comfortable and, what was the word? Secure? He was easy to smile around too. Ivan was pushy and kept pulling her closer when she wanted a little space between them.

While she danced with him her gaze kept wandering to George who looked to be having a great time with Katie and she caught herself wishing it was her dancing with him and it made her face heat up quickly and she suddenly didn't want to stick around anymore.

Lyla stepped away from Ivan and excused herself but he followed her off the dance floor. "Lyla vat is the matter?" He asked and she didn't want to be a complete ass so she put a hand to her stomach. "I'm not feeling well. I think I'm going to retire to my room early." She told him already feeling bad about lying to him but she couldn't imagine how much worse it would be to hear that your date wanted to leave because seeing another guy with a girl that wasn't her was shockingly making her feel like complete crap and she'd rather leave then watch any more of it.

"I vill escort you to your room." Ivan said and Lyla shook her head. "No need. I'll be okay on my own." She said when he made to follow her. "Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded. "Yes. Thank you for the lovely evening." She told him and even gave him a quick hug before quickly darting out of the Great hall and up the steps where girls littered the stairs. Some of them were crying and some of them were comforting their friends and she could see that she wasn't the only one having issues on this night. Her heart went out to them as she ascended the steps clutching her dress so she didn't trip over it in her hurry.

She hurried along the corridors lost in thought. What was going on with her? She hadn't felt that way about George before and now suddenly she did? What kind of game were her emotions playing with her? Whatever it was she didn't like it and she would have preferred to just go along with things being normal again. She wanted to turn back time and go back to the days where she didn't look at George as anything more than a friend. When had it changed exactly? It had to have been sometime after he'd taken her to see the dragons up close. Or was it before then and she simply hadn't noticed?

She heard quick footsteps behind her and she moved aside figuring it was a girl on her way back to Gryffindor tower upset. She waited to be passed but it didn't happen and when Lyla turned to see who was there she was suddenly pulled back from behind by her elbow and dragged into a dark room off to the side. "Hey!" She exclaimed and shoved whoever it was off of her and whoever it was that had dragged her in had left the door cracked a bit to allow some light to filter in and she noticed she was in a damn broom closet. Emmet was not amused and he scurried around in the dark room before sitting on her feet.

"Who the hell do you think-" She was ready to explode on this person but she was cut off. "Why did you leave?" The person asked and she scowled, immediately recognizing the voice, and though she was a bit relieved that she wasn't about to be assaulted by a stranger she definitely wasn't happy to be crammed in a broom closet. It had to be George. Or was it Fred? She couldn't tell in the crappy lighting.

"Umm..Because I'm tired?" She replied in the simplest way. He didn't need to know the real reason she left and it was believable enough wasn't it? "Liar." He snorted and Lyla rolled her eyes though he couldn't see it and sighed. "I'm not a liar. I'm tired and I would like to go to bed." She told him and tried to move past him but in the small space it was entirely too easy for him to block her path and decided that it was most likely George.

How did he even know she'd left? Was he watching her? That was sort of creepy but she'd been watching him a lot so she could be considered creepy as well. "Liar." He said again. "You're upset." He said and Lyla huffed at him and threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "What could I possibly have to be upset about?" She asked, maybe a bit louder than she'd intended to.

"Because you didn't get to go to the Yule ball with who you wanted to." He said with utmost confidence. "Then tell me, oh wise one, who did I want to go to the ball with?" She asked and he laughed. "Me." He said and he sounded even more confident with this statement than the last and Lyla stared at the dark figure, flabbergasted. There's no way he knew that for a fact. "Wow. The ego on you." She grumbled and fidgeted as she felt a broom stick into her back. She turned slightly to move it. "It's true isn't it? That's why you left right? You were jealous." He said and Lyla dropped the broom and her jaw dropped. "No." She denied and he chuckled.

"Come on, Lyla. You didn't really want to go with Ivan. I saw the way you were acting around him and for good reason too." He said and though Lyla wasn't Ivan's biggest fan anymore she still defended him to keep up appearances. If George knew she really was jealous the teasing that could come of it would be unbearable. "I did want to go with him. That's why I said yes when he asked me." She said trying to sound as dignified as possible.

George chortled. "He doesn't even know you." He said and Lyla really couldn't believe she was having this conversation. Of all times it had to happen now? He really had the worst timing of anyone she'd ever known. "He knows me plenty." She insisted. She could almost hear the smirk that had to be planted on his face at the moment. "Oh really?" His voice was thick with sarcasm. "Does he know that sometimes when you read you mouth the words as you go?" He asked and Lyla was taken aback. "What? What kind of question is that?" She snapped and he chuckled. "A good one." He said and suddenly the closet felt even smaller than it already did as she heard him move and he moved a bit closer. "Does he know that when you're really concentrating hard you get this adorable twitch in your nose like a rabbit?" He asked and Lyla's face began to get hot. "I do not!" She said. "Do I?" She didn't know if she did or not.

"You do. Does he know that your ears are extremely sensitive and so much as touching one is enough to make you freak out?" He asked and to prove his point he quickly brushed his thumb over her right ear and her hand went to it immediately to rub at it. "No because he doesn't make it a habit of touching my ears." She said really wishing he would just take a small step back.

"Does he know you were watching me dance with Katie and you got jealous so you left?" He asked and Lyla shook her head quickly. "I wasn't jealous!" She insisted again. "Liar." He repeated and Lyla was getting frustrated. They were talking in circles. "Stop calling me a liar!" She hissed and he sounded amused. "Sure, if you can prove it." He said and Lyla, her eyes adjusting to the dark surroundings gaped at him. "And just how am I supposed to do that?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Kiss me." He said and Lyla couldn't even respond for a moment out of shock. "How in that actual hell does that even remotely make sense?" She asked unable to grasp his logic, or lack there of. "If you have zero feelings for me then you should be able to kiss me no problem with no remorse or regret like you did the night in the owlery." He said and Lyla shook her head again. "That was different." She said and he didn't respond which made her think he was waiting for her to just do it. "You're ass backwards, you know that?" She said and she tried to squeeze by him again but he moved with her, blocking her way again and successfully cornering her. Emmet grunted between them and she wished for once he would bite someone that he liked. "Damn it! Can you just let me out? I'm not going to kiss you so you might as well just let me go to bed." She said growing tired of this game. She was already confused enough and she didn't know what was going on with her and she needed some time to think which he wasn't giving her. "So you admit it?" He asked and Lyla let out a frustrated groan. "No!"

George chuckled again and his tone was light like this was a game to him. "Just do it and I'll let you leave. Simple as that." He said and Lyla suddenly had an idea pop into her head. "Oh my god, fine." She said and quickly grabbed him by the back of his head and she heard him suck in a quick breath and he took hold of her shoulders right before she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He hadn't said what kind of kiss she needed to give him. Just a kiss.

"You know that's not what I meant." He said and before Lyla could duck away from him he turned his head and his lips found hers just as the closet door swung open revealing Mr. Filtch standing in the doorway. She could have killed George in that moment.

A little while later they both stood in front of Professor McGonagall who was looking a mix between uncomfortable and angry. After she'd been told of the incident she'd dismissed Mr. Filtch and was now in the middle of a lecture. "I understand that at this time you may have certain..Urges." The woman sounded hesitant to use the word and Lyla cringed at her choice of words. "I hate you so much right now." She whispered just loud enough for George to hear her. "But to be caught…In a broom closet? I ask that you please keep your affairs private." She said and she seemed to not know what to do with them. She did take points from their house and gave them both detentions to be served when classes resumed and then sent them on their way.

Lyla stormed down the hall, furious at George for putting her in that situation. If he'd just left her alone she could have been in bed by now. Of course she'd probably still be awake thinking about him and the weird emotions she'd been feeling earlier but she would have been all too happy with that considering what the alternative was.

George didn't look bothered one bit. "I don't see what the big deal is." He said and she whirled on him as they were headed up the stairs to the fat Lady's portrait. "You don't- Of course you don't!" She exclaimed and she caught a few stares as they entered the common room. Lyla was ready to get out of her dress, wash her face, and go to bed and try to forget all about this. "Come on it's not that bad." George insisted. "To you!" She hissed and they got even more stares and Lyla had to tell herself to calm down.

"What's wrong with you two?" Fred asked. He'd been sitting with Angelina, Katie and Lee next to the fire and now they all looked very curious. Katie had risen to greet George but when she noticed them arguing she must have thought it wasn't a good idea and simply watched.

Two girls then entered the common room and giggled as they passed them and one of them quietly whispered "lover's quarrel" and Lyla's jaw dropped as she gaped after them. George snorted a laugh but Lyla wasn't finding this very amusing. Okay, maybe a little but mostly she was horrified.

Fred watched the two girls as well having heard their comment and his eyes went wide. "Did they just call you two.." He looked like he didn't know what to make of what he'd just heard. Good, that made two of them. "Great. The rumors are already starting." Lyla groaned and George grinned at his brother and placed an arm around Lyla's shoulders. "Yes. It's true, Fred. Lyla and I have found true lo-" Lyla cut him off by shoving him away. "Get off of me." She grumbled as he laughed at her offence. She kind of felt like curling up into a little ball and dying. The last thing she wanted was anyone else involved in her romantic affairs though she didn't really have any. People's imaginations were far worse than anything else and she knew this from experience. "You're going to fix this." She jabbed a finger into George's chest and Lyla noticed Katie looked like she'd just heard news that her parents had been murdered. "Uh…Start with her." Lyla pointed at the girl and George looked her way and Lyla took the opportunity to steal away up the stairs to head straight for her room.

...

** Honestly, these two need to figure things out! They're all over the place. The struggles of being a teenager hahaha. I thought of spacing this out more but whatever. I like the finished product. :) Now let's see just how much more awkward I can make the relationship between these two. The next chapter is going to be really great I can feel it haha.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter twelve: Rumors and

**Wicked!Chapter twelve**: Rumors and new developments.

**Summary**: Welcome to chapter twelve! :) In this chapter we've got gossip, some teenage hormonal stuff, and some new developments so the title is pretty self explanatory on this chapter but nonetheless I hope you enjoy. :)

**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

...

Just as Lyla feared, the next day there were enough students to have seen her and George being taken to McGonagall to have sufficient amounts of rumors going around. It was by no means front page news but enough people were talking about it to make Lyla's breakfast taste awful.

Lyla found out why the rumors were flying when she overheard a girl sympathizing with Katie Bell and she realized after George had told her what happened and tried to smooth things over the girl must have told her friends and that set off a domino effect. She threw a glare George's way when she realized this and resigned to spending her day in the library where she would hopefully not have much trouble finding peace and quiet.

She was glad to find the library empty and she was able to study without much interruption but leaving the library was a whole different matter and she could have sworn she saw a few younger girls pointing at her but when she looked they giggled and hurried off. "You've got to be kidding me." She grumbled and went straight to Gryffindor tower to find George. He needed to find out some way to fix this before Lyla lost her damn mind. She hated that people talked about her already because of her strange fainting and waking people up in the middle of the night screaming. The small buzz about her was dying away and then this had to come along and ruin everything. She had been so close to being just invisible enough to get through.

She found George in the common room and surprisingly enough he was talking to Katie bell. "I didn't think they would start clucking like hens. I just needed someone to talk to about it." She was insisting and George, who was sitting in a chair with his elbows propped on his knees looked flustered. "I can understand that but how many people did you tell?" He asked her and she appeared to be thinking hard on her answer. "Four?" She sounded a tad guilty and George sighed. "That'll do it." He grumbled and she huffed. "Well if you didn't go and kiss her while you were supposed to be my date I wouldn't have had anything to talk about." She insisted and George's gaze wandered over to Lyla and Katie turned and stared at her. Lyla held her hands up in defense. "I'm not even here." She said and made to walk back out of the common room, her conversation with George no longer important.

Emmet seemed confused by her movements and let out a short grunt as she headed back down the steps only to run smack into Fred who was on his way up. "Hey!" He smiled broadly at her and she gave him a curious expression. "Hi." She said and nodded to Lee in greeting. "How was your night?" Fred grinned and she instantly knew he'd heard what happened. "I heard it was wonderful." He teased but she couldn't bring herself to get mad at Fred. She wasn't fond of him poking fun at her at the moment but she wasn't about to rip his head off for it.

"Not really. It was actually pretty awful." She said and he laughed as he made to go up the stairs around her. "I wouldn't." She said and he cocked his head. "Why?" He asked and she scratched the back of her neck. "George is in the common room talking with Katie." She said and Fred tapped his chin with his finger. "Hmmm…That would be pretty entertaining.." He said and looked towards the portrait of the fat lady. "But I think I should leave them alone." He said and headed back down the stairs. "How very mature of you." Lyla chuckled as Emmet made his way up Fred to his shoulder. "What are you doing?" Lee asked and she shrugged. "I don't know. I was planning to go give George a piece of my mind-"

"Oh, not a piece of something else?" Fred cut her off with a laugh. She shot him a look. "But I walked in on that and figured it would be best if I wasn't around to add fuel to the fire." She said and Fred nodded. "Yeah that's probably best. Well we now have to figure out another place to attend to business." He winked to Lee and Lyla wondered what he was going on about but it wasn't likely that he would let her in on it. "The library is empty." She told him and he ruffled her hair. "I should've thought of that." He said with a chuckle. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around." He teased and he and Lee headed off for the library after handing Emmet over leaving Lyla to wonder what she was supposed to do.

She didn't have long to think about it because she heard the fat lady's portrait swing open and George jogged down the stairs looking none too amused. He arched an eyebrow and stopped in front of her. "Have you just been standing out here?" He asked and she shook her head. "No. I was talking with Lee and Fred a moment ago. They just ran off." She informed him and he nodded and motioned for her to follow him.

"So…Uh..How did that go?" She asked as they walked and George glanced her way, shoved his hands in his pockets, and sighed. "Well…I wanted to ask her why everyone was suddenly so informed on what took place last night so I caught her in the common room and asked her. Apparently after I told her what happened last night she told her friends and her friends told their friends and..You know how these things go." He said with a shrug and Lyla groaned. "Couldn't you have just told her nothing happened?" She asked and he shook his head. "That didn't occur to me at the time." He said and she sighed heavily. Damn him for being an honest guy.

"I'm just glad you're not mad at me anymore." He said and she shot him a glare. "Who says I'm not mad at you?" She asked. She was still pretty angry but most of the anger had worn off and was now more agitation than anything. "You're talking to me aren't you?" He smiled and she rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean I'm not angry. That just means I'm not going to write you off as a friend for being stupid."

They fell silent for a few moments as they walked and Lyla had no specific destination in mind. There wasn't much to do over the holidays so they were just wandering the corridors and Lyla had to avoid the stares thrown their way and the whispering wishing she could just become invisible. George picked up on her obviously uncomfortable behavior and he patted her head. "Just ignore them. It will all blow over. Just give it another day or so." He said and she nodded. He was probably right. She didn't think this would remain interesting for more than a few days. A couple of girls pointed and she tried to ignore it. "Hmm..Maybe would should find somewhere less populated." George muttered and she nodded.

She pulled her jacket tighter around her as they headed outside and to the Quidditch field and sat in the stands. Though it was freezing outside it was still better than being inside the castle. "Heard from Connor recently?" George asked and Lyla was surprised he would be asking about him. Last time she'd heard his name come out of George's mouth it had been out of contempt. "Yeah. He keeps getting mad at me for sending him money." She said and wrapped her arms around herself while Emmet burrowed into her jacket.

"It's really kind what you're doing." George told her and she nodded. "I can't just sit around and do nothing." She said not really feeling it was a big deal. She cared about Connor and his mother. If she could do more she would. George shook his head. "Really. It's one of the things I really admire about you." He said and Lyla had a feeling this conversation was about to get weird and after last night she didn't think she could handle anymore weirdness. She still had no idea how she felt about the whole situation. Happy that he was still interested in her? Upset because he'd put her in a situation she'd never wanted to be in? She was confused and she didn't know how to handle any of this.

"Thanks." Was all she could manage to come up with as a response. He nodded and Lyla shivered as the wind picked up. "I feel like you want me to be sorry about last night." George blurted suddenly and Lyla spared him a glance. "But I'm not. I'm sorry that it's become public knowledge but I'm not sorry for what I did. I'd do it again." He said and Lyla's face got a bit warm. "I know you would." She said and stared at her feet. "That's something I admire about you." She told him. "You're extremely honest with yourself and those around you."

He smiled and then cocked his head. "And you're not?" He asked and she shook her head. "Not like you and Fred. You two are so open and quick to say what's on your mind. I used to think I was the same way until I met you two and realized just how reserved I really am." She explained and his smile got bigger. "Give it a shot." He said and Lyla frowned. "Sometimes you need to talk to someone with complete honesty to be able to figure some things out." He said and Lyla wondered how she'd been so lucky to meet the twins. They were both such good friends to her so what would be the harm in opening up?

"I think my biggest problem with opening up is the fear that one day we'll have a falling out or something and I'll be left with the knowledge that I'd told you so many things all for nothing." She admitted feeling stupid the moment the words left her mouth. George nodded. "I get that but it wouldn't be all for nothing because when you tell me it will be a relief for you to finally get it off your chest instead of carrying it around with you all by yourself. So that's worth something." He explained and set a hand on her shoulder, his tone light. "And I don't see us having a falling out. We may bicker and do or say stupid things sometimes but in the end we forgive it and grow from it." He said. Lyla chuckled. "You know sometimes I forget that you're actually pretty smart." Lyla said and George shook his head at her. "Charming."

Lyla figured she should give it a try. "Well for one I've been worrying about my lack of visions." She said and he frowned. "Shouldn't that be a good thing? That means nothing bad is going to happen right? Besides, I can't imagine those are any fun. The way you act sometimes when you're having one can be scary." He said and she sighed. "Tell me about it. It feels awful." She said.

"Why does it worry you?" He asked. Lyla shrugged and slouched a bit. "I don't know. It just feels like I should be seeing something but it never comes and..I've been sleepwalking again." She admitted and George's eyebrows rose. "Really? Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on you again." He joked. It actually felt good to hear that. Knowing that he'd try to be around to keep her from getting into trouble made her feel better. "And as far as the visions go maybe you should try meditating again. I know you've been really busy lately so maybe you should take the time to try. It seemed to work well last year." He said and she nodded. It couldn't hurt, right? "Now can I ask you to answer something honestly?" He asked. Lyla had a feeling she knew what his question was going to be but she nodded anyways. "Go ahead." She sighed not sure if she really could answer honestly but she would try.

"Did you think I would ask you to go with me to the Yule ball?" He asked and Lyla paused. She had thought he would but admitting it out loud would sound conceited would it? She nodded. "I did." She said shoving all other thoughts away. It was these kinds of doubts that kept her from being completely honest and it did make her feel a bit better after she said it.

George's smile returned. "Would you like to know why I didn't?" He asked and though she felt ashamed for her curiosity she nodded. "Because I thought if you saw me with another girl you'd get jealous. Plus Katie's always hinted that she liked me so I picked her. In hindsight I probably should have thought that out more. I feel pretty bad for doing that to her. She's a really nice person." He chuckled and Lyla repeated his words in her head. He'd been trying to make her jealous? How silly. Though she had to admit it worked wonders.

"Of course then you went with Ivan and my plan sort of backfired." George admitted and Lyla tilted her head in curiosity. "What do you mean?" She asked and he sighed. "I wanted to make you jealous but I didn't think you'd actually go with Ivan after everything and when I saw you with him I wanted to kick myself. I kept seeing him dancing with you and touching you and..I didn't want to hurt Katie's feelings so I tried to act like I didn't notice but when I saw you leave I had to go after you."

Lyla stared at George unable to believe he'd gone out of his way to try to make her jealous only to end up giving into the green eyed monster himself. It was funny to her and she laughed. He chuckled along with her. "Okay. One last question." He said and Lyla smiled. "Shoot." This was getting easier.

"Do you actually feel something for me more than friendship? I can't tell anymore. You're hard to get a read on." He said. Lyla shrugged determined to be honest with him. "I don't know. I keep telling myself I don't and then I had to leave the ball because seeing you with Katie actually made me disappointed. I couldn't help but feel like I should have gone with you. Dancing with you was fun and I felt comfortable. With Ivan I kept getting distracted and looking at you." She admitted. "But then I think back on it and don't know anymore. It's confusing. It's like I can't tell the difference between our friendship and these weird things I keep feeling towards you." She sighed. It was really hard to admit all of this but at the same time it felt good to talk about because she'd been stuck in her head about it for the longest time.

George was staring at her with a perplexed expression and he ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe you don't have to tell the difference. Why do those things have to be separate? When two people care for each other they sometimes start out as friends and some people get it confused when they talk about caring for someone beyond that. People who start out as friends can remain friends while still becoming something more. Take my mum and dad for example. Sometimes they don't act like husband and wife but more like close friends even though there's far more to it than that." He shrugged and Lyla thought of a few times she'd seen her parents act the same way. "These things don't need to be as complicated as some like to think they are." He said.

"If you want to remain friends but be a bit more than that when we're alone that's fine with me. If you don't want anyone to know that's fine with me too. It's not their business anyways. We can take it slow but I need an answer." He said and Lyla dropped her gaze to her feet unable to take the way he was looking at her. It wasn't like he was looking at her at all but through her.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she did want to be more than just friends with him but she didn't know how to go about it. She felt like she was too inexperienced with these things and that everyone else already knew what to do or how to act. It had taken Lyla so long to find a boy she found interesting enough to want to be in that sort of relationship with and now she felt awkward in almost every situation with a boy but how much would she regret it if she said no to George right now? How much would she beat herself up over it later? She was getting tired of this 'should she or shouldn't she?' game she'd been playing with herself. She wouldn't know for sure unless she tried, right?

"Lyla?" She looked to George who was waiting patiently and she scratched at Emmet's head when he poked it out of the top of her jacket for some fresh air. She didn't know what to say and she looked down at George's hand which was sitting on his knee, the knuckles looking a bit red from the cold biting at them and she slowly moved her own hand to rest on top of it holding her breath the whole time. How such a small gesture could put so much stress on her was embarrassing. What other girls couldn't attempt to hold a boy's hand without over thinking it? Would it always be this difficult? Was that fair to George?

His face broke into a grin and he turned his hand over to hold hers and she looked away out over the field trying very hard not to make eye contact with him at the moment. "One step at a time." She heard him mumble and she didn't know how long they sat there like that but soon her stomach was growling and she desperately wanted to return to the castle for some lunch. George agreed but he didn't let her pull her hand away on the walk back. Instead he gripped it tighter and slipped their joined hands into his jacket pocket.

He didn't let her have her hand back until they entered the castle and Lyla shivered at the drastic temperature change and they headed for the great hall and met up with Fred and Lee who were already there eating. "Joined by the happy couple at last." Fred teased as soon as they approached and Lyla ignored him but George laughed. "You know if you keep feeding into these rumors they might just become interesting." He joked and Fred laughed. "Hmmm..You're right. Maybe I should add onto them saying it wasn't Lyla after all but one of the house elves from the kitchen." He suggested and Emmet finally wriggled out from Lyla's jacket and began investigating along the table.

"It would be more believable." George chuckled and Lyla ate silently until Fred asked her what was wrong. Like he couldn't have guessed already what could possibly be bugging her. There were a multitude of things but right now she was more focused on the topic of her visions since she'd brought it up with George. She wanted to try to force herself to have another one and she'd been figuring out when would be a good time. She decided right after she ate would be as good a time as any. "Nothing." She told him and finished her food. "I'll catch you guys later." She said and hurried out of the Great hall and up to Gryffindor tower and she would have gone up to her room but she stopped at the door hearing voices inside and that wouldn't have bothered her if she hadn't heard her name.

"I know it's not entirely her fault but she's always hanging around them and maybe that gave George the wrong idea. I didn't think he felt that way about Lyla until last night when he told me what happened." It was Katie, no doubt.

"I'd just be glad he told me. At least he was honest about it and she didn't look happy about the situation and had more concern for you than a girl who wanted you out of the picture would be." That was definitely Angelina.

"You're right. I don't know what's going on between those two I just wish I hadn't been brought into it. I thought he really wanted to go to the ball with me. I should have known better when I saw them dancing together but I just thought he was being nice." Katie sounded pretty disappointed.

"I was actually wondering about that. I asked Fred when I noticed it and he said something about Lyla owing George a dance from her birthday party and when I told him later about what happened between George and Lyla he looked really shocked."

Lyla tore herself away from the door feeling like an ass for eavesdropping and went back down to the common room and tried to think of somewhere else she could attempt to meditate without being interrupted and remembered the broom closet George had pulled her into. What was the chance that someone would go in there?

She tried to remember where it had been and it took a moment for her to find her way back there of course once she did get there she was forced to deal with a crappy realization. It would be dark if she didn't leave the door cracked but if she left the door cracked then there was a chance for outside interruption that would break her concentration. She took out her wand. "Lumos." She whispered and Emmet slipped into the closet with her and she closed the door behind them. On the floor she spotted a broom and remembered what caused it to fall. "Ah, jeeze." She grumbled and looked around for something she could use as a light. As luck would have it she found a very old looking lantern and lit it. Magic sure was convenient, wasn't it?

She sat it on the ground and plopped down next to it and closed her eyes. Just like every time before this one she always had trouble concentrating and had so many thoughts that entered her mind this time that it felt like it took nearly an hour to slip into a trance-like state that, to her, felt like a dream world.

Images presented themselves and passed without giving much of anything as far as answers. One of the images, Lyla thought, looked like Connor's mother sitting at a table and crying in the dark. One of them was really blurry but appeared to be Professor moody. He was in a dark room and shoving things into his pockets, looking around in a paranoid fashion. What would he have to be paranoid about? Then again, Lyla thought, when wasn't Moody acting paranoid?

The next image was crystal clear. So clear, in fact, that it startled Lyla as she seemed to be standing very high up over a body of water and lined up next to her were Fleur, Krum, Cedric, and Harry all peering down into the water looking anxious. She wondered just what was happening. The next task? The third? When would this take place? She was wondering this when she was ripped from the scene and was suddenly standing in a very odd place. It took her a moment to realize it was a graveyard and even though she knew she wasn't really there it was creeping her out. She felt like she was being watched and when she turned to survey the surroundings there was a man standing right behind her. She recognized this man from her visions last year. Peter, the man who'd been posing as Ron's rat. What was he doing in a graveyard?

She could hear him whispering but she couldn't pick up on anything he was saying. She tried to concentrate on his words but the more she tried to focus the less she could see of the scene until it disappeared entirely. Then there was nothing. Black. She was staring at nothingness and she was willing something else to show itself to her but nothing came but a sharp, deep voice that suddenly shouted at her and it felt like it was right next to her ear. She could even feel the hot breath that rushed against it. "I will rise again!"

She jerked back into reality and rubbed at her ear, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. 'What the hell?' She thought and quickly put out the lantern and left the closet feeling way too creeped out to stay inside any longer. She even felt nervous walking down the halls and climbing the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She almost felt like she was being followed but when she would look around to see if this was true there was nothing there.

'You're just freaking out.' She told herself as she entered the familiar setting of the common room where the twins were coming down the stairs from the boy's dormitories. "Heading to dinner?" Fred asked and Lyla stared at them. "What?" She asked. They'd just eaten lunch hadn't they? "Dinner. Are you coming?" George asked and Lyla felt extremely stupid but she nodded along really not comfortable with the fact that she'd lost so much time that she didn't realize. She felt like she hadn't been in that closet for long at all.

At dinner she ate sparingly, thinking about everything she'd seen and trying to put the images together. Mostly she was wondering how they were connected. If it hadn't been for the twins talking to her she would have been sucked into her thoughts the whole time. "Huh?" She looked up from her plate to see the two staring at her. "I asked if you wanted to go for a walk after dinner." Fred said and Lyla shivered at the thought of the cold but she thought maybe it would be good for her to stretch her legs. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting in that closet but it must have been quite a while.

"Sure." She shrugged and George was smiling to himself over something. "You've been doing that since lunch. What's up with you?" Fred asked his brother who shook his head. "Nothing." He said and tossed Lyla a glance who pretended she didn't even know he was there when Fred looked her way as well. "You two have been acting weird since last night." He muttered and Lyla shook her head. "Your face has been acting weird since last night." She grumbled and he looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed together. "What is that supposed to even mean?"He asked and Lyla rose from the table after pushing her plate away. "It means let's go." She smiled figuring it wouldn't do her any good to keep dwelling on her visions.

The twins followed her outside and Lyla shuddered the moment the wind hit her face and Emmet crawled up into her jacket again. They wandered around the grounds and Lyla tried not to shiver too hard. It was cold during the day but now that the sun wasn't out it was so much worse. She envied Fred who was wearing the hat she'd gotten him last year for Christmas and he didn't look a bit bothered by the weather. "The new term will be starting soon." Fred said as they walked, disappointment in his tone. "The holidays have really flown by." George said and Lyla groaned at the very thought of homework. "Please no.." She grumbled and the twins laughed. "I'm not going to survive." She sighed and Fred hooked an arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair. "You'll be fine. No one ever died of homework…But I'm sure a few have come close." He cackled and Lyla shoved him off even though his body heat had been a temporary relief.

They walked around for a little while until the cold was too much for them and they headed back for the castle and Lyla was fantasizing about the fireplace in the common room. "Those flames are calling for me." She groaned and rubbed her arms trying to create some friction to warm them up. It didn't do much for her and she picked up the pace and they were so close to the castle when the twins stopped walking and both of them looked behind them which made Lyla instantly curious. Someone was shouting and she tried to make out what they were saying but all she could hear was her name. "What the.." She stared into the darkness as someone made their way towards them at a brisk pace and Lyla could see the puffs of air that whipped away on the breeze.

There was only one person it could be and as the person came closer she verified that it was Ivan and the closer he got the more Lyla could see his face and it wasn't a pretty one. She'd never seen him angry and she could honestly say she never wanted to see it again. His eyebrows were drawn together and his nostrils flared and those eyes that had once been pleasant to look at were now hard for her to make contact with. He looked furious as he crossed the grounds towards them.

Fred and George looked amused at the boy's obvious anger but Lyla was more concerned and was contemplating simply fleeing into the castle and avoiding him. She could only imagine what he could be angry about and as he came closer Lyla could hear him shouting something about disrespecting him.

"You kiss her. Is this true?" He asked Fred as he finally made it close enough for him to get an answer. "Uh.." Lyla looked from Ivan to George and apparently the rumors had gotten around to him. Well, now they definitely knew why Ivan looked so mad. Now if only he could get the answer out of the right twin because he was definitely barking up the wrong tree. "No." Fred said with a shake of his head and then he grinned and pointed to his brother. "He did though." He said and Ivan turned his glare to George.

"Yes. I did." George nodded honestly and Ivan's face contorted even more and it really reminded Lyla of the Veela at the World cup. So beautiful when at rest and content but when they were angry they were hideous. He spat a few words out in his native language. "She vas mine. You had no right." Ivan hissed and George frowned. "She's yours?" He looked down to Lyla as Fred did the same. "Lyla do you belong to this guy?" Fred asked and she shook her head. "No. I don't." She said, offended to be referred to as property. How disrespectful and rude. How she ever could have found this boy attractive was suddenly beyond her and she recalled Mr. Weasley's words concerning the Veela and how no one should ever go for looks. This was a lesson she would keep in mind for the rest of her days.

"Glad to have that sorted out." Fred beamed and he made to walk away as did George and Lyla but Ivan didn't seem to be done and grabbed her by the wrist roughly. "Don't go. He is boy. I am man." He said and Lyla couldn't stop herself from laughing. She didn't mean to it just kind of happened. This guy was really a jerk and she hadn't seen it. She could see how it was bad of her to treat him the way she had and she felt guilty for it but that didn't excuse his behavior. "I'm sorry." She said truly meaning it "But from where I'm standing the opposite is true." She said and jerked away from him. His grip having been so tight it had hurt and Ivan suddenly pulled out his wand and the twins drew theirs simultaneously. "Expelliarmus!" They shouted in unison.

Lyla grabbed both of the boys by their arms and dragged them inside not wanting anything more to come of this. She could understand that they were only trying to help but she didn't need them getting into trouble on her behalf. "Please don't ever do that again." She said as the two howled with laughter. "Oh, come on. It was self defense." Fred shrugged. "And did you see his face?" George laughed. "What do you think he was going to do?" Fred asked and Lyla shook her head. "I don't think he was going to do anything. I think it was an empty threat or a move of desperation." She guessed. She couldn't see anyone being brave enough to attack students from the school hosting them. He would definitely get into a heap of trouble.

"You trust people too much, Lyla. He could have really intended to harm you." George said, his mood suddenly very serious. "Either way it wasn't like we attacked him. We just made sure he couldn't attack you or us." Fred looked carefree about the whole matter but Lyla didn't like it. She was happy that the twins were there to look out for her but she didn't like the way they fought her battle. On occasion it was nice but she knew she could handle herself and she didn't want Ivan to think of the twins as enemies.

They entered the common room which was nearly empty aside from Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville Longbottom who were all sitting about and Lyla headed for the fireplace to warm up. Emmet poked his head out of her robes and went to greet the others in the room while George joined her by the fire and Fred went about bugging and teasing Ron. "Lyla. Please do me a favor." George said quietly to her as she warmed her hands, her skin tingling as it warmed up. She arched an eyebrow at him. "What's that?" She asked and he stared down into the flames. "Avoid Ivan as much as possible." He said and Lyla sighed not liking his serious mood. "I'll try. Now please lighten up." She offered him a smile and poked at the corners of his mouth trying to force him to smile. He batted her hands away with a chuckle and she felt accomplished.

"Goodnight." She said and gave him a short wave as she headed for the girl's dormitories and as she passed Fred she yanked his hat over his eyes and continued on her way before he could retaliate.

…

**What a temper on that Ivan! Someone was butthurt hahaha. I feel like things are getting pretty interesting this year, don't you? I wonder what else could possibly happen. If you're wondering the same thing I guess you're just going to have to read on and find out, yeah? :) See ya next time!**

** Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13: A Bad Omen

**Wicked! Chapter thirteen**: A Bad Omen.

**Summary**: Hey guys and welcome to chapter thirteen. This is going to be the shortest chapter in this entire story and I promise you that and the only reason it's short is because I'm having internet issues and I had to type this up really quick and post it at a friend's house and I didn't have much time to type this up. I won't be able to update for a few days until my internet is back on but when I do I promise it will be a good one. Anyways, read on and enjoy!

**Disclaimer**:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

...

Just as George has said the rumors didn't last long. Just long enough for Lyla to hear the story chance a few times. Some were saying she'd been after George from the start and was slipping love potions into his drinks. She couldn't count how many people swore up and down they'd seen her do it. Then Fred's addition got passed around and there were so many people who were suddenly whispering about George and a house elf. Really? That one was way too ridiculous and either George was strange enough for people to believe it or Fred was extremely convincing. The last one she heard threw her for a loop and when she'd heard it she couldn't believe what was coming out of people's mouths.

She'd been at dinner sitting with Hermione who was telling her about her argument with Ron about krum when she heard it. A boy who was a few years younger than her was talking quietly and she wouldn't have paid it any mind if not for the topic. "I saw them dancing at the ball and they looked pretty close if you ask me. So I wasn't too shocked when I heard they were caught in a broom closet but what did shock me was when I heard that she might have slipping love potions too him. I don't think that's the case. I think she was so jealous seeing George with Katie bell that she used the imperius curse on him." The boy said and Lyla's fork clattered on her plate when it fell from her fingers. 'What?!'

"That's ridiculous. That's illegal." The girl he was talking to said and the boy smirked. "For us maybe but I don't think the same rules apply to Dumbledore's pet seer." He said and Lyla froze. So far it had only been speculation that she was a seer. No one had confirmed it yet this boy sounded so confident. "I mean, think about it. Seers are so rare they can't afford to lock one away in Azkaban." The boy said and Lyla rose from the table and left. She wanted to smack the boy for his insane slander but she didn't need that sort or attention. If anyone believed this kid's story then it would only make her look suspicious.

That had been a few days ago and Lyla had heard no word of this rumor and was highly relieved. George didn't seem a bit bothered by all of the different stories. In fact he thought they were hilarious. He even took to teasing her, guarding his cups whenever she sat next to him at a meal. Fred found this highly amusing and one day he began doing the same saying that if she couldn't have one then she might go for the other which amused the twins to no end.

When the stories died and teasing her was no longer amusing the twins forgot about the whole ordeal and they went about the rest of the break just keeping themselves entertained.

When classes started up again Lyla was definitely not looking forward to the homework load that was about to pile up. On Monday, January the fourth, Lyla dragged herself out of bed feeling as if the break hadn't been a break at all. It hadn't been relaxing nor fun for most of it.

At breakfast the twins looked just as miserable as she did. "Back to the grind." George grumbled as she took a seat and tried not to look too disappointed. "Hey I've got some good news." Lyla said trying to change the subject before it got too dreary. "I can start apparating classes soon." She soon and the two shot her glares. "Lucky you." Fred sounded bitter and Lyla sighed. Couldn't they just be happy? "You should wait until next year so we can all learn together." George suggested and Lyla picked at her food while Emmet transferred from her shoulder to Fred's.

"Should I? I don't think my parents would be too happy to hear I'm delaying that." She said. Then again they'd probably want her to delay it as much as possible. That way they wouldn't have to worry about randomly disappearing. "You should." Fred looked chipper at the suggestion. "I'll think about it." She said and they headed off for Defense against the Dark Arts which had most definitely her least favorite class this year. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Professor Moody. Sure, lots of students thought that but she just had this gut feeling that he was hiding something.

He was going on about Nonverbal spells in class but Lyla was far too busy watching him to pay attention to what he was saying. She was more interested in figuring out what she couldn't put her finger on. 'Why do you perplex me so?' She wondered as she watched him hobble around the room. By the end of class she was left with no answers and it frustrated her as she headed for Divination.

At the end of the day she had a whole bunch of homework and not nearly enough time to complete it all and give in to the twins who wanted her to do something with them. She had to brush them off and buckle down and even had to ask Hermione to help her with some of her work who was quite busy herself but gave her some pointers here and there which Lyla was extremely grateful for.

The next two weeks were difficult. Her classes were exhausting her and her extra classes with Snape were becoming more of a burden than anything and since he'd taught her the Veritaserum antidote he hadn't given her much other to work on. He would simply force her to study some of the potions in her book and though she'd spent days and days reading it over he still made her read it again. He said she could never understand the complexities of a potion if she did not pay close attention to the minute details in the brewing so each and every Monday and Wednesday he would quiz her until he felt she was thoroughly informed on a potion before moving on to the next though no brewing came about. Maybe he was being pissy because she hadn't given him the chance to humiliate her.

She was overjoyed for their next visit to Hogsmeade for a day away from the castle and surprisingly George and Fred didn't spend very long at the joke shop. Instead they were set on finding Ludo Bagman for some reason and they eventually found him at the Three Broomsticks but he didn't want to talk with them and hurried off. They found a table near the back of the pub and Lyla spotted Hermione standing up to a woman and Lyla had never seen that side of the girl. She looked really fired up about something but Lyla wasn't about to probe for information.

"He won't give us the time of day." Fred was grumbling and Lyla assumed he was talking about Bagman. "Why are you two so intent on talking to him anyways?" Lyla asked though she felt like they weren't going to tell her. They hadn't yet much to her disappointment but this time George surprised her. "Since he enjoyed our fake wands so much we've been trying to get him to back our business. We want to take Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to a bigger market but we can't do that without some support." He said and Lyla gaped at him. "Really? And you didn't ask me for help?" She asked and Fred, looking shocked at his brother for telling her, turned his gaze to Lyla. "You've been sending all of your money to Connor and we didn't want to bug you for hand outs." He said and Lyla nodded. "Oh, yeah…But I still would have tried to spare some money for you two." She said suddenly determined to give them a bit when her parents sent her money again. "Don't worry about it, Lyla. I'm sure we'll get him to back us." George said but Lyla already had it set in her mind. Hopefully they'd be easier to give money to than Connor was with his stubborn self.

They wandered around for a bit after that before returning to the castle. Hogsmeade was fin but after so many trips it sort of became boring. It was always nice to see what the shops had to offer with each visit but after viewing the new merchandise there wasn't much else to do. Lyla did stop in at Ollivanders to say hello to the woman who'd sold her new wand to her and the woman asked her how it was working for her. They chatted for a few minutes before Lyla left.

"Now what? We have the whole day to ourselves." Fred said as they made it back onto the school grounds. "Well…I do have some homework to catch up on." Lyla said and George shook his head. "Nooooooo." He groaned. "Lyla don't be so boring." He said and she rolled her eyes at him. "Because not wanting to fall behind is boring." She said. "Not all of us have grand dreams of owning our own business." She said and Fred arched an eyebrow. "Why don't you work with us? If we ever get our business of the ground that is." He suggested and Lyla frowned at him. "Me? Working in a joke shop?" She asked.

George's face broke into a big smile. "Well it wouldn't be all tricks. You could make our potions." He said and she shook her head. "I don't think so. I want to do something bigger than that." She said not trying to be offensive but it was the truth. The two didn't look offended and Fred shrugged. "Well the offer will stay on the table in case you ever change your mind." He said.

Lyla's gaze feel upon the Durmstrang ship as they passed it and Lyla wondered if Ivan was in there or if he was wandering around. She didn't want to run into him any time soon if not ever again. George bumped her hand with his and she turned her gaze to him but she couldn't tell if he'd done it on purpose or not.

Though the twins ran off to go find something mischievous to get into Lyla decided it would be best if she went up to her room for some alone time and she pulled out her tarot cards and did a few question and answer spreads. She mostly asked about her visions but nothing really came out of them as far as answers and they were vague at best so she made to put them away when something popped into her head. Maybe she should ask about George. Maybe she could find an answer there.

It was a long shot but she shuffled the cards with a question in mind. 'Should I just be friends with George or something more?' She'd still been wondering about it and hadn't quite figured things out as far as their strange relationship so she just wanted a sign or some inclination that she was doing the right thing or not.

She set the cards up in a 'V' formation and flipped over the first card which indicated the past. The Fool grinned back at her with one foot off a cliff in the upright position. She flipped through the little booklet that contained the meanings of the cards and read it out loud and it told her a new opportunity offered potential, but involved risk. It said that it indicated a turn of events but to look before she leapt. It also said that if the venture was worthwhile in her opinion then it would withstand her caution. The card also indicated amusement and spontaneity and that she would find herself in the company of entertaining people. She assumed this was referring to the twins and her meeting them and becoming friends.

The second card represented the present and the question at hand. It was The High Priestess in the upright position which told her that she had a personal desire for knowledge and guidance, especially to make a major decision. "Tell me about it.." She grumbled as she read it. It then told her to listen to her instincts yet to seek advice from someone older and wiser. She had no idea who she could ask though. She doubted Dumbledore would want to be bothered with something like this and she couldn't think of anyone else. Maybe Mrs. Weasley but how awkward would that be?

She flipped over the third card which would represent hidden influences that needed to be considered. The Hermit was in a reversed position and meant a refusal to deal with a particular problem that was probably caused by her own actions. It said to resist showing anger or resentment and to look for meaningful solutions rather than avoidance tactics. Man, did that hit the nail on the head. She'd been avoiding this for so long opting to pretend there was nothing going on rather than deal with it appropriately.

The fourth card signified the attitudes of others around her and she flipped the card to find the six of wands. The summary of this card could all be summed up into one word. Disappointment. She read the part about their dream career slipping away and Lyla was reminded of how Mr. Bagman didn't want to talk to the twins when they saw him at the Three Broomsticks and how disappointed they had looked afterward.

She turned the fifth card over which represented the best action for her to take. The Hanged man was in the upright position meaning a need to view her situation in a different way and to put old ways of thinking aside. It said to allow her intuition to take over. The card's advice would be easier said than done. How was she supposed to change her way of thinking? For one, she could stop being so damn negative all the time when it came to this matter specifically.

The sixth card illuminated the obstacles in her path which turned out to be The World in a reversed position. It meant the inability to move forward manifesting as stubbornness and a refusal to change a current way of life. It told her she had to break the pattern. She definitely understood the stubbornness aspect of it. It wasn't like she was trying to be stubborn she just had a hard time accepting all of this but it looked like she would have to if she wanted to be able to move forward.

The outcome was the seventh card and she looked upon the Two of Cups in its upright position. It predicted a love commitment and was also a good card for creative partnerships and friendships. It said agreements would be harmonious.

Lyla frowned at the cards. "You can tell me all of that but you can't tell me about my visions." She grumbled and shuffled the deck. "Come on. Give me something. I need to know what's coming." She said. She'd been feeling like something was going to happen before she even got back to school so there had to be something just out of sight. Something big.

She continued to shuffle the deck thoroughly, cut it, and then picked up the first card off the top of the pile and she dropped it when she saw what it was. It was the reversed tower. Lyla put the cards away and tried not to think about it too much as she pulled out her homework trying to distract herself. It wasn't an easy task and she thought about maybe finding Fred and George because they always had a way to make her forget about her worries but she knew they would pick up on the fact that something was wrong and she didn't want to explain it to them just yet. Not until she was certain. Maybe it was a fluke.

For the rest of the night she found herself thinking of the last card she'd pulled and even in her dreams it was there, mocking her as a great castle stood before her, reaching up into the clouds. Overhead a storm was brewing, clouds rolling against one another and thunder drowning out all other noise. Every few seconds lightning would illuminate the sky and everything around her and she could have sworn she saw one of the bolts touch down a few feet away from her and when she looked back up the Dark Mark had appeared among the clouds.

Screaming began, muffled and quiet, at first as if it were far away but as she peered up at the windows faces began to appear in the windows and the screaming got louder as the faces of her peers presented themselves. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, the twins, even Cedric Diggory and Krum. More showed up and the screaming got louder. She couldn't make out what any of them were saying but their voices reached out to her on waves slowly becoming overwhelming and leaving her with a sense of helplessness.

She circled the tower trying to find an entrance to no avail and as she stared up at the many faces a huge bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, temporarily blinding her, and when she was able to see once again the tower was on fire and the top of it was crumbling, pieces of stone falling to the ground all around her and she was rooted to the ground. 'What do I do?' The asked herself as more began to fall away from the structure and people feel from it to their deaths. 'How do I stop this?' She watched as the tower fell to pieces, the people with it and tears began to run down her face. "What do I do?" She asked to the sky, unable to do anything else.

"You need to wake up." Someone said and it sounded so close to her but when she looked around there was no one there. She was completely and utterly alone. "Help me." She begged the voice. She wanted, more than anything, for them to show themselves so she could feel some sort of comfort in their presence. She didn't care who it was. It could be the fat lady of Gryffindor tower and she would be relieved to just have someone with her.

She suddenly felt very warm and there was an unmistakable smell of someone familiar and when Lyla awoke it was to a kiss and she shoved whoever it was away from her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She exclaimed and the person sighed. "I was kissing the girl to wake her up like in a fairytale. I was being cute and spontaneous."

She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the dark and she peered up at George who was giving her a half smile. "It may or may not have been my idea." Fred chuckled from behind his brother, Emmet perched on his shoulder and Lyla's eyes went wide and she looked around to see they were outside. Not only were they outside they were in the Quidditch field and she put two and two together. 'Sleepwalking.' She was more concerned about what Fred had said though. "And why would you give him that idea?" She asked and he shrugged. "I cracked the case of the weirdness between you two. I mean, it wasn't difficult. At all." He snickered.

"In my opinion it was cute." Fred patted his brother on his shoulder and George grinned at him. "Thanks." He said and put an arm around Lyla's shoulders. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked. "You were mumbling." He said and Lyla put a hand to her head letting out a loud yawn. "I'll tell you in the morning." She said and ran a hand over her hair. "Um..It is morning." Fred said. "The sun will be coming up any minute now." He said and Lyla frowned. "Wonderful." So she couldn't even go back to sleep.

They walked back up to the castle and were the first to arrive at breakfast, the sun having slowly crept over the horizon on the slow walk back and their trip up to the dorms to change into their school robes. "So?" Fred asked as they took seats. Emmet hopped onto the table and Lyla leaned over and grabbed him before he decided to help himself to whatever he wanted. "Do you want the shortened version?" She asked and the two shook their heads. Lyla sighed and told them everything that had been happening with her mediation in the closet and then the tarot card reading and then the weird dream and they listened with patience until she shrugged. "And then I woke up to this dunce playing prince charming." She chuckled and George feigned offense. "I AM charming. Not so much a prince but charming none the less." He said.

Fred ignored his brother's comment and rested his elbows on the table. "What do you think all this means?" He asked and Lyla shrugged again. "If last year's visions taught me anything it's that when I sleep walk my destination is usually where something is going to happen but there's no Quidditch this year and unless one of the tasks for the champions includes a tower I don't think I have any idea of what this means but the tower is a bad omen especially reversed. It means misfortune or an act of cosmic power and whatever is going to happen isn't going to be good. I'm going to try to meditate and force something and consult the cards again. Maybe this time I can figure it out before it happens." She said feeling determined.

"I like this side of you." George grinned and Fred rolled his eyes. "Just because I know what's going on between you two doesn't mean you have to act like that around me. It's kind of disturbing." He said and George laughed. "All I did was compliment her determination." He said and Fred nodded. "Yeah but now that there's something between you it sounds like a love confession." He said and cringed. "Don't be so dramatic." George teased his brother and Lyla felt his hand brush hers and he smiled at her but she finished her food and headed off to classes hoping the day would go by quickly so she could try to get to the bottom of all of this.

….

**Okay so hopefully this chapter was good and, again, I'm sorry that it will be a few days before I can post another one. I'm going to have plenty of time to write it out since I won't have any internet to distract me hahaha and I'll make it a long one to make up for this short one. Heck, I may be able to write out two chapters. Who knows. **

** Thanks for reading!**


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